Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt released his preseason top 25 rankings. He put the Georgia Bulldogs at the No. 6 spot, just shy of the top five. The Bulldogs are the highest-ranked team in his top 25, ahead of Texas (No. 7), LSU (No. 8) and Oklahoma (No. 9). However, he still didn't put them in the top five. "Georgia's still the class of the SEC," said Klatt. "The roster is great. Kirby Smart is a great coach. You can't kill Georgia, either, because quarterback Gunner Stockton is a gamer who is tough as nails and absolutely tough as nails. He's an elite fourth quarter quarterback. "But here's the problem: Georgia hasn't played at the same level as the teams in the top five. Can Georgia score at the level that some of the top teams in the nation can? I'm not sure."
The Oregon Ducks come in at No. 1, despite the fact that they haven't reached a national championship in the extended College Football Playoff era (2024-). He points to the Ducks' roster as a reason for his thinking. "Every team in the country has a question on their roster, except for Oregon," said Klatt. "The only question is if Oregon can eventually get over the hump. But let's be real, this team has only lost three games over the last two years — all to that season's eventual national champion. We don't think the Ducks aren't right there?" The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Ohio State Buckeyes are at No. 2 and 3, despite Notre Dame missing the College Football Playoff and Ohio State losing to the Miami Hurricanes (No. 4) in the Cotton Bowl. The defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers fall to No. 5. "Candidly, this might be too low," Klatt said on Indiana ranking No. 5. "Curt Cignetti was the best head coach in the country last year, and he kept his coordinators... The schedule's a bit tougher than it has been during Cignetti's time there, but Indiana is an elite program." Rounding out the top 10, Texas (No. 7), LSU (No. 8), Oklahoma (No. 9, and Michigan (No. 10) make it. "I probably have Michigan ranked higher than most, and I think the Wolverines are the second-biggest wild card in college football this season," Klatt said on Michigan. He dubbed the No. 8 LSU Tigers the biggest wild card of the season. "LSU could climb into the top three. It could also fall out of the top 25," said Klatt. "I think the Lane Kiffin experience will work, but who knows? LSU brought in the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country, but it also had the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country last year and it couldn't play its way offensively out of a wet paper bag." Joel Klatt's preseason top 25 rankings
Thoughts on @joelklatt's Preseason Top 25? pic.twitter.com/P39EewUOCh — The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football on FOX Pod (@JoelKlattShow) August 10, 2026
Oregon Ducks (Big Ten) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Independent) Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten) Miami Hurricanes (ACC) Indiana Hoosiers (Big Ten) Georgia Bulldogs (SEC) Texas Longhorns (SEC) LSU Tigers (SEC) Oklahoma Sooners (SEC) Michigan Wolverines (Big Ten) Texas Tech Red Raiders (Big 12) USC Trojans (Big Ten) Texas A&M Aggies (SEC) BYU Cougars (Big 12) Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC) Ole Miss Rebels (SEC) Penn State Nittany Lions (Big Ten) SMU Mustangs (ACC) Louisville Cardinals (ACC) Washington Huskies (Big Ten) Houston Cougars (Big 12) Iowa Hawkeyes (Big Ten) Tennessee Volunteers (SEC) Arizona Wildcats (Big 12) Oklahoma State Cowboys (Big 12)
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