College football preseason poll crowded at the top

The Associated Press Top 25 poll came out last week. Let the sorting out process begin.Only two first-place votes and five points separate No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Penn State. Each of the top five teams, and six of the top seven, received at least one No. 1 vote.Given the logjam, what an ideal year for there to be so many marquee games before the calendar turns to September. There are three top 10 matchups in Week 1 alone.The most anticipated is Texas at third-ranked and defending national champion Ohio State on Aug. 30. The College Football Playoff semifinal rematch is the highest-ranked opener since 2017, when No. 1 Alabama knocked off No. 3 Florida State in Atlanta.The other two showdowns: No. 9 LSU visits No. 4 Clemson on Aug. 30 and No. 6 Notre Dame is at No. 10 Miami the next day.The outcomes of those games could — emphasis on could — start providing some clarity in a year when AP's Top 25 voters were challenged more than usual to come up with a preseason pecking order."I think about five or six teams could claim No. 1," said Sam McKewon, sports editor of the Omaha World-Herald and a veteran voter. "NIL, revenue sharing and the transfer portal have spread out the talent a little bit from the first seven or eight years of the CFP era. "But I also think Penn State, my No. 1, and Texas, likely the most talented team, probably have something to prove in the eyes of some voters."Texas' unknowns are how its reconstructed offensive line will come together in front of quarterback Arch Manning and how the receiving corps responds to losing four of the top six pass-catchers. Of course, there always are questions when a new quarterback takes over but, among the folks in burnt orange, there is much more excitement than anxiety over Manning.Penn State is a trendy pick to win the national championship with third-year starting quarterback Drew Allar and star running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen returning to school and defensive coordinator extraordinaire Jim Knowles coming over from Ohio State. The Nittany Lions needed a serious upgrade at receiver, and they think they accomplished that.Throw in Ohio State as a team with something to prove, too. The Buckeyes have perhaps the best defensive player in the nation in Caleb Downs and perhaps the top receiver in Jeremiah Smith. It all comes down to quarterback, and who that will be is still to be determined.Don't forget DublinIreland will host its first Top 25 matchup when No. 22 Iowa State meets No. 17 Kansas State in Dublin on Saturday, and there are plenty of reasons to watch this season opener for the entire sport.First, it's a rivalry. Iowa State beat the Wildcats 29-21 in the 2024 "Farmageddon" game in Ames to lock up a spot in the Big 12 championship game. ISU's Rocco Becht and K-State's Avery Johnson make for a intriguing quarterback matchup. Both teams likely will be battling for spots in the conference title game again.Illini under radar no longerIllinois won't sneak up on anybody, and that's just how Bret Bielema likes it heading into his fifth season. The Illini are in the preseason Top 25 for the first time since 2008, and their No. 12 ranking is their highest since they opened No. 7 in 2001.Bielema talked of grand possibilities when he was hired, and he's getting closer to delivering. The Illini won eight games in his second year and, after taking a step back in 2023, tied program records with 10 wins and four against Top 25 opponents.Fifth-year quarterback Luke Altmyer is among 16 returning starters, and the schedule is manageable. As of now, the Illini play only two ranked teams — at No. 20 Indiana on Sept. 20 and at home against No. 3 Ohio State on Oct. 11.Extra pointsThe most notable return to the preseason Top 25 is No. 16 SMU. The Mustangs hadn't been ranked to begin a season since 1985 under Bobby Collins... No. 13 South Carolina's last preseason ranking was 2014 under Steve Spurrier... No. 23 Texas Tech has a preseason ranking for the first time since 2008 under Mike Leach. It also is the Red Raiders' first ranking since 2018, when they were in for one week in late September at No. 25... No. 8 Alabama's ranking is its lowest in the preseason since it was No. 24 in 2008, Nick Saban's second season... Only one team from a power conference has never appeared in the preseason Top 25: Vanderbilt.