What the preseason Coaches Poll says about the Group of Six, new Pac-12

In last year’s preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, Boise State was the only Group of Five team to crack the top 25.

The Broncos opened at No. 25 in the Coaches Poll and AP Poll and were promptly blown out by South Florida in Week 1. Boise State fell out of both polls and never returned on its way to a third straight Mountain West title and a 9-5 overall record.

The 2026 Preseason Coaches Poll was released earlier this week, and zero Group of Six teams—the number grew by one with the addition of the Pac-12—were included in the top 25.

Boise State received the most votes among Group of Six teams in the poll with 24, checking in at No. 36. Fellow new Pac-12 member San Diego State earned two votes.

Eight other Group of Six programs got votes: UNLV (17), Memphis (9), James Madison (6), New Mexico (4), Western Michigan (3), Navy (3), Jacksonville State (1) and Hawaii (1). The Broncos, who open the season at No. 2 Oregon, host Memphis on Sept. 12 and travel to Western Michigan on Sept. 26.

The preseason Coaches Poll shows the reality of college football in 2026.

Seventeen of the 25 ranked teams hail from just two conferences: the SEC (nine teams) and Big Ten (eight). The Big 12 (four) and ACC (three) lag behind while the Group of Six is nowhere to be found.

The highest-ranked Group of Six champion is still guaranteed a College Football Playoff berth, but the gap between the haves and have-nots has never been wider.

Here is the full preseason coaches poll (first-place votes in parentheses):

1. Ohio State (38)

2. Oregon (6)

3. Georgia (7)

4. Texas (2)

5. Notre Dame (5)

6. Indiana (14)

7. Miami

8. Texas A&M

9. Oklahoma

10. Ole Miss

11. Alabama

12. Texas Tech

13. LSU

14. USC

15. BYU

16. Michigan

17. Penn State

18. Tennessee

19. Washington

20. SMU

21. Utah

22. Iowa

23. Clemson

24. Houston

25. Missouri

Others receiving votes: Louisville 153; Florida 147; TCU 63; Illinois 62; South Carolina 50; Arizona 50; Virginia 40; Vanderbilt 37; Auburn 29; Georgia Tech 26; Boise State 24; Oklahoma State 22; UNLV 17; North Carolina State 13; Florida State 13; Virginia Tech 12; Nebraska 12; Memphis 9; Arizona State 8; James Madison 6; Duke 6; Pittsburgh 4; New Mexico 4; Western Michigan 3; Navy 3; San Diego State 2; Kansas State 1; Jacksonville State 1; Hawaii 1; California 1

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