The reveal of the preseason AP Top 25 Poll is always exciting, as it sets the stage for the upcoming season and is a sign that we are just weeks away from the action. However, this season, the weight of the AP Poll is much greater than in seasons past.
In 2024, college football will feature numerous changes. While name, image, likeness and the transfer portal continue to snowball into bigger aspects of the game, this season will debut an expanded College Football Playoff format (tripling in size from four to 12), and mass conference realignment goes into action.
The Pac-12 is no more; and the ACC, Big Ten, and Big 12 have all grown in size and reach, with all three consisting of teams on the East and West Coast.
As far as the SEC is concerned, they added two massive brands in the game, the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns. Some internal changes will be noticeable, such as the new system of determining a conference champion (gone are the days of the east and west divisions) and the retirement of Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban.
So what does all of this have to do with the preseason AP Poll? Well, as we enter into a new era of college football, this Top 25 ranking opens the door to the season. It will answer some questions while likely raising more. It can make or break a team’s whole season. For some, it could result in an uphill battle that’s far too difficult to overcome in just 12 games.
Though the College Football Playoff committee will select the 12 teams that will compete for a national title, those rankings don’t begin until later on in the season. For most of the season, the AP Poll rankings will determine the strength of each team’s resumé, the importance of each game, and can even focus national attention on a certain game or program.
With the future of college football upon us, these rankings usher us into the 2024 season. The full ranking will be revealed Monday, Aug. 12.