Early in the season, the AP top 25 preseason poll gives fans an idea of which are the best teams in the country, and from there, the CFP selectors reveal their own rankings to determine the playoff field. Of all the preseason AP No. 1 ranked teams during the College Football Playoff era, all but three have made the College Football Playoff.

Allar was a 5-star recruit and the No. 3 overall player in 247Sports' ranking for the 2022 class. He's by far the best QB of the Franklin era. The Ohio native made positive strides under first-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. His completion percentage rose from 59.9 to 66.5, and he averaged 8.4 yards per attempt compared to 6.8 in 2024.

After ranking Penn State No. 1 in his post-spring poll, Joel Klatt kept the Nittany Lions in the top spot, while another team skyrocketed.