| Rank | Team | Comments | Prior | |
| 1 |  | USC | Touchdown...Barkley to Woods. Get used to hearing that this season as the Trojans offense will be explosive. | |
| 2 |  | LSU | LSU will win plenty of games with their defense. The Tigers host Bama, so they are the SEC favorites. | |
| 3 |  | Alabama | Alabama will look for another BCS national championship this year, but first they must worry about Michigan. | |
| 4 |  | Oklahoma | There is no denying the talent OU boasts on the offensive side of the ball, but championships are won with defense. | |
| 5 |  | Oregon | Even though Chip Kelly must replace QB Thomas and RB James, Oregon will again be a great and explosive team. | |
| 6 |  | Michigan | Michigan starts off the 2012 campaign with a bang, facing off against Alabama in Arlington. Denard will be tested early. | |
| 7 |  | Georgia | After a slow start and before a disappointing finish, Georgia was a great team in 2011. Consistency is key. | |
| 8 |  | Wisconsin | On the shoulders of Montee Ball and the ground game, Wisconsin should be headed back to the Big Ten title game. | |
| 9 |  | Virginia Tech | What happens when you combine the VT defense with a stellar quarterback like Logan Thomas? BCS Title hopes. | |
| 10 |  | Stanford | Life without Andrew Luck will begin at Stanford this year. The defense and ground game will need to be ready. | |
| 11 |  | South Carolina | Coach Steve Spurrier keeps putting a good product out on the field, but they may never be able to take the next step. | |
| 12 |  | Florida State | Florida State underachieved significantly in 2011. Perhaps the pundits were a year too early with this team. | |
| 13 |  | Oklahoma State | Weeden to Blackmon will be a phrase missed in Cowboy country, but this team has enough talent ready to emerge. | |
| 14 |  | Boise State | Boise State should win the MWC again, but they have higher hopes than that and it starts in East Lansing. | |
| 15 |  | Arkansas | Prolific quarterback Tyler Wilson has a new coach, but he can lead the Razorbacks to contention in the SEC. | |
| 16 |  | Texas | A little consistency on offense, especially at QB, would have the Longhorns back in the mix for a Big 12 title. | |
| 17 |  | Michigan State | The Michigan State defense may be the best in the Big Ten, but the passing game has some major holes to fill. | |
| 18 |  | Auburn | Auburn had a ton of rebuilding to do and they did pretty good in 2011. They can build on that and be better in 2012. | |
| 19 |  | West Virginia | West Virginia will have a tougher go of things in the Big 12, but the potent offense will make them immediate contenders. | |
| 20 |  | Clemson | Great skill players are abundant, but Clemson will struggle if they cannot find quality bodies on both lines. | |
| 21 |  | Florida | The Will Muschamp era got off to a slow start, but things will be better this year, especially if UF finds a consistent QB. | |
| 22 |  | Ohio State | OSU only has pride to play for in 2012, but you can be sure Coach Meyer will have this offense cooking. | |
| 23 |  | TCU | TCU, traditionally strong defensively, has the offense to keep up with their new Big 12 conference foes. | |
| 24 |  | Nebraska | Rex Burkhead and Taylor Martinez will get the headlines, but the Nebraska defense will be much better. | |
| 25 |  | Kansas State | Kansas State is back in the national picture thanks to Coach Bill Snyder and quarterback Collin Klein. | |
Football 2012 Preseason Top 25 Rankings
Wed, 08/01/2012
