Because the Arizona State football team has traditionally fared better when expectations were lower, maybe it is good that when the 2026 campaign commences, they will not be nationally ranked.
Ohio State is the No. 1 team in the nation according to the preseason US LBM College Football Coaches Poll, which was released on Aug. 4. Oregon, Georgia, Texas and Notre Dame round out the top five.
There are four Big 12 teams inside the Top 25. They are Texas Tech (No. 12), BYU (15), Utah (21) and Houston (24).
Both ASU and Arizona were among those receiving votes.
Kenny Dillingham’s team is coming off an 8-5 showing in 2025. The Sun Devils didn’t quite live up to expectations when they were ranked No. 11 with 16 starters returning from a team that won a conference title in 2024.
It marked the 25th time in school history that ASU was ranked to start the season. But after three weeks and with a 2-1 record, ASU fell out of both polls and didn’t return to the rankings.
This season, ASU has just a few returning starters. National publications’ preseason projections pegged the Sun Devils anywhere from sixth to ninth in the Big 12. Defending champion Texas Tech and BYU are the prohibitive favorites.
PRESEASON US LBM COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACHES POLL – 8/4/2026
The preseason US LBM coaches poll Top 25 with teams’ records from last season in parentheses, total points based on 25 for first place through one point for 25th, ranking in last year’s final poll and first-place votes received.
| Rank | School (record) | Points | Last season’s final rank | First-place votes |
| 1 | Ohio State (12-2) | 1,741 | 6 | 38 |
| 2 | Oregon (13-2) | 1,637 | 4 | 6 |
| 3 | Georgia (12-2) | 1,591 | 5 | 7 |
| 4 | Texas (10-3) | 1,544 | 13 | 2 |
| 5 | Notre Dame (10-2) | 1,524 | 11 | 5 |
| 6 | Indiana (16-0) | 1,522 | 1 | 14 |
| 7 | Miami (Fla.) (13-3) | 1,409 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | Texas A&M (11-2) | 1,174 | 8 | 0 |
| 9 | Oklahoma (10-3) | 1,104 | 10 | 0 |
| 10 | Mississippi (13-2) | 1,096 | 3 | 0 |
| 11 | Alabama (11-4) | 1,050 | 9 | 0 |
| 12 | Texas Tech (12-2) | 1,034 | 8 | 0 |
| 13 | LSU (7-6) | 951 | NR | 0 |
| 14 | Southern California (9-4) | 838 | 21 | 0 |
| 15 | Brigham Young (12-2) | 781 | 12 | 0 |
| 16 | Michigan (9-4) | 719 | 22 | 0 |
| 17 | Penn State (7-6) | 463 | NR | 0 |
| 18 | Tennessee (8-5) | 428 | NR | 0 |
| 19 | Washington (9-4) | 406 | NR | 0 |
| 20 | SMU (9-4) | 378 | NR | 0 |
| 21 | Utah (11-2) | 313 | 14 | 0 |
| 22 | Iowa (9-4) | 291 | 17 | 0 |
| 23 | Clemson (7-6) | 235 | NR | 0 |
| 24 | Houston (10-3) | 194 | 19 | 0 |
| 25 | Missouri (8-5) | 158 | NR | 0 |
Dropped out: No. 15 Vanderbilt (10-3); No. 16 Virginia (11-3); No. 18 Tulane (11-3); No. 20 James Madison (12-2); No. 23 Navy (11-2); No. 24 Georgia Tech (9-4); No. 25 Illinois (9-4).
Others receiving votes: Louisville (9-4) 153; Florida (4-8) 147; TCU (9-4) 63; Illinois (9-4) 62; Arizona (9-4) 50; South Carolina (4-8) 50; Virginia (11-3) 40; Vanderbilt (10-3) 37; Auburn (5-7) 29; Georgia Tech (9-4) 26; Boise State (9-5) 24; Oklahoma State (1-11) 22; UNLV (10-4) 17; Florida State (5-7) 13; North Carolina State (8-5) 13; Nebraska (7-6) 12; Virginia Tech (3-9) 12; Memphis (8-5) 9; Arizona State (8-5) 8; Duke (9-5) 6; James Madison (12-2) 6; New Mexico (9-4) 4; Pittsburgh (8-5) 4; Navy (11-2) 3; Western Michigan (10-4) 3; San Diego State (9-4) 2; California (7-6) 1; Hawaii (9-4) 1; Jacksonville State (9-5) 1; Kansas State (6-6) 1.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Where Arizona State football ranks ahead of 2026 season
