Burns' 2025-26 College Football Preseason Top 50 Power Poll:

Before the football season begins, there's always talk about who's going to be the team to win the Heisman, who's going to win the conferences, and who's going to win the National Title. There's also chatter about all of the little things that teams must go through in order to accomplish these things. This article is going to feature my PRESEASON POWER POLL (TOP 50) of teams in the CFB and how good I believe each team is. At the end of it, I will add some detail for my top ten "most talented" teams in the country and why I have them there. This season should be ridiculously fun. Good luck!

26.) Auburn
27.) Iowa State 
28.) Louisville 
29.) Texas Tech
30.) Iowa
31. ) TCU
32.) Kansas State 
33.) Florida State 
34.) BYU
35.) Wisconsin 
36.) Nebraska 
37.) Vanderbilt 
38.) Washington
39.) Arkansas
40.) Georgia Tech 
41.) Missouri
42.) Colorado 
43.) Minnesota
44.) Virginia Tech
45.) Cincinnati 
46.) UNC 
47.) Duke
48.) Kansas 
49.) UCLA 
50.) Kentucky

Boise State
James Madison
Tulane

As I mentioned in my, " way-too-early-ncaaf-predictions-future-bets-to-make " article last month, the Texas Longhorns are the team that I believe are the best in the country this season and will be victorious at the end of the year. Arch Manning has the name of "QB legend" and I expect him to perform at a very, very high level this season. He's definitely got weapons, with Quintrevion Wisner & CJ Baxter (missed all of last year) in the backfield as well as Ryan Wingo & DeAndre Moore Jr at WR. The defensive line/linebackers are stellar as well, with great defensive backs. This team is complete and even if they were to fall short in week one (not saying I think that they are going to,) I do believe that the Longhorns would still be able to come back and win the National Championship at the end of the season. 

After Texas, there's a couple teams that I like a lot this season. However, it's hard not to look at Penn State and ignore the fact that it's returning its QB and both star RB's this season. The Nittany Lions made the playoffs a year ago and just fell short in the Semi-Final game against Notre Dame. I believe that they could very well challenge for the National Title given their experience and how well coached they are. Penn State did lose its best player from a year ago in Abdul Carter to the NFL. But, it's still got an insane amount of talent to compete with the best in the country. 

Next on my list, I've got Dabo Sweeney's Clemson Tigers. Also bringing back their quarterback in Cade Klubnik, the Tigers are definitely going to be one of the most explosive offensive attacking teams in the league. Klubnik, who I believe is one of the best Quarterbacking options in the entire nation. The Tigers have excellent options at Wide Receiver and also brings in one of, if not the best defensive line of all teams. The Tigers O-Line should also help them succeed at a very high level this year. 

After their National Championship Game appearance a season ago, the Fighting Irish should definitely be back in the conversation again this season to get another chance at glory. Bringing back, in my opinion, the best running back in College (Jeremyiah Love,) this team is more than likely going to be favored in every single regular season game this season as well as getting back in in the College Football Playoff. With a new QB at the helm, there's questions to be asked. But, I wouldn't be shocked if ND is right back where it was last year. 

The defending National Title Champs are reloaded and back for more this season. They return their best two players from last year's team in Jeremiah Smith & Caleb Downs who weren't even eligible to be drafted yet. That being said, it's definitely going to be slightly difficult for the Buckeyes to repeat what they did last season, beating so many great teams along the way. They will have a new Quarterback and new Running Backs to rely on this season and although I still have them playing in my Championship Game, week 1 is going to be a huge test for them and we'll find out a lot in that game, which is a potential preview of the Title Game, whether the Buckeyes will be back where they should be at the end of the season. 

Always in the conversation to be named the best team in the country, the Georgia Bulldogs once again in a great spot. UGA will have Gunnar Stockton as its QB this year, who ended the season last year for it. That should be a bit of a sigh of relief for the "Dawgs," who want to win Championships, and Championships only. Oscar Delp is an outstanding tight end, and they bring in Zachariah Branch from USC to give Stockton quite a bit of talent to work with. Let's also not forget that they've always got one of, if not the best defenses in College. With how well coached this team is, I believe that they have as good of a chance as anyone to get to the National Title Game this season. 

Just like Georgia, Alabama is pretty much always in the mix to be in contention by the end of the season. It was a "transition year" for the Crimson Tide last season, who didn't make the 12-team playoff. Kalen DeBoer took over for Nick Saban and nobody quite knew what to expect. Having said that, it wasn't a complete failure. The guys are now used to DeBoer's style and I believe that the Tide should no-doubt, be back in the CFB Playoffs at the end of this season. 

While there's been a bit of speculation about new Sooner QB John Mateer having bet on some games in 2022, there's nothing that's proven that it's happened. Having said that, I'm going to go about this believing that he'll play all of this year. The Sooners are in the stacked SEC, which is going to be maybe the best we've ever seen in this insanely talented conference (six of my top 10 teams are SEC.) Deion Burks & Isaiah Sategna are stud wideouts and the Sooners also bring in Jaydn Ott Sr. at RB from Cal. This team could be very electric if Mason Thomas has a big year like everyone expects him to at Defensive End. 

Another SEC team in LSU gets my #9 spot. Like the Tigers of Clemson, the Tigers of Louisiana State have an excellent Quarterback that's returning to the team for this year's campaign. Garrett Nussmeier is now a senior and is supposed to have a wicked season with Aaron Anderson and Barion Brown. The defense looks really strong and these guys are definitely contenders to win a lot of games and go far in the playoffs. It's just a matter of getting the job done against the tough opponents on the schedule in the regular season to set them up for success. The week 1 game vs. Clemson will be a great indicator of what to expect. 

Round out my top 10 most talented teams in the Florida Gators. Last season, DJ Lagway had to take over the team after injuries at the QB position. He is going to be a contender to win the Heisman Trophy this season and for good reason. A dual threat that can make every single throw. The Gators get better at almost every position, having a great offensive line and the defense is going to be ferocious. Caleb Banks (DT) is a projected top 10 pick by some people and the defensive backs should be much improved from last season. Don't be surprised to see Florida knock off some great teams this season. 

Texas vs. Georgia.
28-17 Texas.