There’s no need to let the AP top 25 and Coaches Poll have all of the fun — let’s talk about another poll. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will start the season ranked No. 3 in the first FWAA-NFF Super 16.
NOTES:
Ohio State, last season’s Big Ten runner-up, opens the season at No. 1 after receiving 28 of 56 first-place votes. It marks the Buckeyes’ 25th all-time appearance atop the preseason poll and their first since 2015. Only Alabama (62) and Georgia (37) have more No. 1 appearances.Oregon begins the season at No. 2 following an appearance in last season’s College Football Playoff Semifinals, marking the highest preseason ranking in program history. The Ducks’ previous best was No. 4 in 2024.
Notre Dame also enters the season at its highest preseason ranking ever at No. 3, surpassing its previous best of No. 6 in 2025 and 2022.
Texas is No. 4, joining Ohio State and Georgia as the only teams to open each of the last three seasons ranked in the top five.
Defending national champion Indiana is No. 6 and makes its first appearance in the preseason poll in program history.
Miami (FL) is the ACC’s lone ranked team at No. 7, while Texas Tech, at No. 11, is the Big 12’s highest-ranked team.
The SEC leads all conferences with seven ranked teams, followed by the Big Ten with five, the Big 12 with two, the ACC with one and the FBS Independents with one.
Since 2015, the eventual national champion has been ranked among the top six of the preseason poll a total of nine times. Alabama in 2017 is the only national champion during that span to open the season at No. 1.
ABOUT THE FWAA-NFF SUPER 16 POLL:
The FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll was established at the conclusion of the 2013 season by long-time partners, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the National Football Foundation (NFF). Voters rank the top 16 teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, and the results will be released every Sunday of the 2026 season; the individual votes of all members will also be made public. The first regular season poll will be released on Tuesday, Sept. 8 (to account for Labor Day games), and the final poll will be released Sunday, Dec. 6. The pollsters consist of FWAA writers and College Football Hall of Famers who were selected to create a balanced-geographical perspective. The poll utilizes a computer program designed by Sports Systems, a TicketManager company, to compile the rankings and Kellner Ratings to publish the individual votes.
NOTES:
Ohio State, last season’s Big Ten runner-up, opens the season at No. 1 after receiving 28 of 56 first-place votes. It marks the Buckeyes’ 25th all-time appearance atop the preseason poll and their first since 2015. Only Alabama (62) and Georgia (37) have more No. 1 appearances.
Oregon begins the season at No. 2 following an appearance in last season’s College Football Playoff Semifinals, marking the highest preseason ranking in program history. The Ducks’ previous best was No. 4 in 2024.
Notre Dame also enters the season at its highest preseason ranking ever at No. 3, surpassing its previous best of No. 6 in 2025 and 2022.
Texas is No. 4, joining Ohio State and Georgia as the only teams to open each of the last three seasons ranked in the top five.
Defending national champion Indiana is No. 6 and makes its first appearance in the preseason poll in program history.
Miami (FL) is the ACC’s lone ranked team at No. 7, while Texas Tech, at No. 11, is the Big 12’s highest-ranked team.
The SEC leads all conferences with seven ranked teams, followed by the Big Ten with five, the Big 12 with two, the ACC with one and the FBS Independents with one.
Since 2015, the eventual national champion has been ranked among the top six of the preseason poll a total of nine times. Alabama in 2017 is the only national champion during that span to open the season at No. 1.
ABOUT THE FWAA-NFF SUPER 16 POLL:
The FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll was established at the conclusion of the 2013 season by long-time partners, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the National Football Foundation (NFF). Voters rank the top 16 teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, and the results will be released every Sunday of the 2026 season; the individual votes of all members will also be made public. The first regular season poll will be released on Tuesday, Sept. 8 (to account for Labor Day games), and the final poll will be released Sunday, Dec. 6. The pollsters consist of FWAA writers and College Football Hall of Famers who were selected to create a balanced-geographical perspective. The poll utilizes a computer program designed by Sports Systems, a TicketManager company, to compile the rankings and Kellner Ratings to publish the individual votes.
Kind of an interesting note here… Notre Dame received the second most 1st place votes with 9. When you look at the individual ballots, however, you can see a few things that stick out about Notre Dame’s ranking — but the one that sticks out the most comes from former Notre Dame defensive lineman, Chris Zorich, who ranked the Irish at No. 10 to start the season.
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