How the Updated All-Time Associated Press Top 25 Looks Heading into 2026 Football Season

"What's the best college football program of all-time?" is a question that gets frequently asked and debated on a regular basis. which thankfully will be one thing that won't change about the sport for a long time. Overall wins, national championships, winning percentage, awards, the NFL Draft and alumni, conference titles and even bowl games have all been used to support various arguments, and with good reason.

Polls and rankings are another, and have a lot of history on their side. The College Football Playoff rankings, done by a select committee, are now used for determining the postseason brackets each year, however the Associated Press Poll, also known as the AP Top 25, has been the standard for nearly 100 years, dating back to 1936.

It only made sense that somewhere along the line someone would start adding up the voting for all of the season-ending rankings, and compiling it for an All-Time Associated Press Poll. His name was Charles Woodroof, the former SEC assistant director of media relations, and he made it a regular part of the conference's annual football media guide. However, it was discontinued right around the time Nick Saban's dynasty started to gain some traction at Alabama.

That's where we picked it up, and kept adding to the point total. In 2018, the all-time rankings became a regular item on Alabama Crimson Tide On SI/BamaCentral.

When Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2017, the Crimson Tide was fifth on the all-time list. It overtake Oklahoma at No. 1 until his final national championship in 2021. It's the first time Alabama has been atop the all-time rankings.

But it didn't last. Ohio State was also rising right behind Alabama and overtook the Crimson Tide two years ago. They remain close in the all-time rankings, with Oklahoma still a solid No. 3.

Before revealing the latest update through the 2025-26 season, here are the specifics regarding the all-time rankings: Similar to the weekly poll a first-place finish is worth 25 points, second 24 points, and all the way down to one point for No. 25.

It needs to be noted that the majority of years there were fewer than 25 teams listed. From 1936 to 1961 the wire service ranked 20 teams. From 1962 to 1967 only 10. It went back to 20 from 1968 to 1988 before expanding to 25 teams in 1989. Consequently, the all-time poll is weighted a bit toward the most recent results.

Regardless, it takes a lot for a program to make a significant move, especially near the top where the point totals really add up. Sustained success is the key, and the hardest thing to achieve in this sport.

Here are 10 things that stood out from the updated All-Time Associated Press Poll, followed by the rankings:

What would Alabama need to retake the all-time No. 1 ranking?

The Crimson Tide needs to finish eight spots higher than Ohio State to tie, nine to retake the lead. In other words, if Alabama wins the national championship this season, it'll need Ohio State to finish 10th or worse to be back at No. 1.

How many all-time top 25 teams were in the 2025 College Football Playoff?

Eight, the exact number as the previous playoff, which was the first time using a 12-team format.

Which conference has the most teams in the all-time top 25?

SEC with 12, followed by the Big Ten with nine. Both leagues have two in the top five, and the Big Ten has slight a 5-4 edge for the top 10, but then SEC takes over with the next two teams listed for half of the top 12.

Which program could move into the all-time top 25 this season?

Iowa is the only one, and it would take quite a bit for the Hawkeyes to knock aside Wisconsin for the final spot, TCU is the only other program that could so over two seasons.

Which program moved into the top 100 all-time?

That would be Vanderbilt, which was at No. 105 a year ago but made the biggest move to be tied for 89th. If the Commodores manage to be ranked at any point of this season it'll be the first time in Vanderbilt history it managed to do so during three consecutive seasons.

What's the lowest-ranked all-time team to have won a national title?

It's Indiana, which went into last season at No. 67. It only moved up to No. 61, so the Hoosiers can still play the disrespect card. Since the Hoosiers have only finished eight season ranked in the top 25, they would have to win the next nine national titles to have enough points to reach the all-time top 25. It also assumes that none of the teams in between could gain enough points during those same nine seasons to stay ahead in the points chase.

What's the best team to have never won an AP national title?

UCLA still holds that distinction, although Oregon is getting close to challenging.

Which program has bragging rights in Florida?

You want to talk about tight rivalries, the three major programs in the Sunshine State are at No. 14, 15, and 16, with just one point separating Miami and Florida behind Florida State. However, neither can catch the Seminoles this season or next.

Which program moved up the most in the top 10?

Last season it was Georgia, which moved ahead of Nebraska and Penn State, and up to No. 8.

Can you name the two programs that finished ranked for the first time last season?

Congratulations to James Madison and North Texas, which both recently moved up in classification from the Football Championship Subdivision. With their additions, 146 different programs have been ranked over the years.

The All-Time Associated Press Top 25

Rank	Program	Points	Top 20	Top 10	Top 5	1st	2nd
1	Ohio State	1,055	64	45	31	6	8
2	Alabama	1,047	63	50	31	13	5
3	Oklahoma	944.5	61	45	33	6	4
4	Notre Dame	917.5	61	41	26	8	5
5	Michigan	897	62	41	18	3	2
6	Texas	713	47	29	12	3	2
7	USC	697	54	28	19	5	5
8	Georgia	653	41	29	15	3	3
9	Nebraska	638	43	30	13	4	2
10	Penn State	637	46	29	15	2	3
11	Tennessee	608	43	25	13	2	4
12	LSU	597	44	23	10	3	3
13	Florida State	578	32	20	17	3	2
14	Miami (Fla.)	502	32	16	11	5	5
15	Florida	501	31	19	11	3	1
16	Auburn	479	36	19	9	2	2
17	Clemson	463	34	14	8	3	3
18	Michigan State	406.5	28	18	9	1	4
19	UCLA	383	32	17	9	0	1
20	Ole Miss	352,5	27	14	5	0	2
21	Texas A&M	349.5	28	14	4	1	0
22	Washington	348	25	13	7	0	3
23	Oregon	334.5	19	13	8	0	3
24	Arkansas	333	28	14	4	0	1
25	Wisconsin	328	22	14	3	0	1

The next 10: Iowa, TCU, Georgia Tech, Stanford, Pittsburgh, Colorado, Missouri, Virginia Tech, Arizona State, Kansas State, Brigham Young, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Army, North Carolina and Boise State tied.

Sign up to our free newsletterand follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Threads and Blue Sky for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google