College football analyst Joel Klatt has revealed his preseason top 25 ranking for the 2026 season.
Oregon is Klatt’s preseason No. 1 team, beating out Notre Dame and Ohio State for the top spot. Miami and Indiana round out the top 5 on Klatt’s list.
Zero SEC teams made it into Klatt’s top 5, but they’re all over the board in the top 10 — Georgia at No. 6, Texas at No. 7, LSU at No. 8 and Oklahoma at No. 9.
Elsewhere in the top 25, Texas A&M, Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee made the cut. In total, 8 SEC programs made Klatt’s preseason top. Here’s a graphic showing the full list:
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Klatt’s top 25 looks similar to many other preseason polls that have come out in recent weeks with Big Ten programs dominating the top 5. Georgia and Texas both have CFP aspirations as well, though, and are currently atop the SEC Championship odds board on Kalshi:
Klatt’s rankings also underscore several high-profile matchups set to take place this September. Notably, Week 2’s slate includes matchups between Texas and Ohio State as well as Oklahoma and Michigan. All 4 of those programs enter the year in Klatt’s top 10. Ole Miss and Louisville also face off in a potential top 20 matchup.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
