The release of the 2026 preseason coaches poll is just around the corner—but before the official rankings drop, we have opinions of our own. As always, the College Gym News staff conducted its annual preseason poll to determine how we see the field shaping up, much like the AP Top 25 in college football.
Our methodology remains straightforward: Each participating contributor privately submitted their top 36 teams for the 2026 season, with no discussion beforehand to keep the results as unbiased as possible. We then assigned point values to each placement—36 points for a first-place vote, 35 for second, and so on through No. 36. Totals were compiled to produce our overall ranking.
Below, you’ll find the complete top 36, including point totals and first-place votes where applicable, plus the additional teams that earned points but narrowly missed the cut.
How does your ranking compare? What would you change? Share your top 36 with us in the comments or on social media. And keep an eye out for the official 2026 preseason coaches poll on Road to Nationals, which should be released soon.
Finally, if you’re curious about the thought processes behind our ballots, our roundtable discussion breaking down the poll is coming next week—don’t miss it.
As promised, here is the numbered list, pairing teams with the corresponding points in descending order:
- Oklahoma (536 points, 11 first-place votes)
- LSU (520 points, 1 first-place vote)
- Florida (498 points)
- UCLA (496 points, 2 first-place votes)
- Utah (492 points)
- Michigan State (451 points)
- Alabama (447 points)
- Missouri (436 points)
- Arkansas (422 points)
- Kentucky (385 points)
- Auburn (383 points)
- Georgia (375 points)
- Stanford (359 points)
- Minnesota (340 points)
- Michigan (324 points)
- Denver (306 points)
- California (292 points)
- Ohio State (288 points)
- Arizona (243 points)
- Oregon State (237 points)
- Clemson (235 points)
- Iowa (228 points)
- N.C. State (228 points)
- Southern Utah (181 points)
- North Carolina (180 points)
- Penn State (175 points)
- Nebraska (156 points)
- Arizona State (147 points)
- Maryland (138 points)
- BYU (107 points)
- Illinois (98 points)
- Washington (85 points)
- Boise State (65 points)
- West Virginia (38 points)
- Utah State (34 points)
- Towson (25 points)
Other teams receiving points: Rutgers (23 points), Central Michigan (8), UC Davis (7), Iowa State (2)
READ THIS NEXT: College Gym News 2026 Preseason Poll: How Our Editors Ranked Their Top 36
Votes cast by Elizabeth Grimsley, Katherine Weaver, Rebecca Scally, Savanna Wellman, Julianna Roland, Penny McNees, Frances Leadman, Sophie Poirier, Alyssa Van Auker, Sarah Smith, Sara Finkelstein, Tara Graeve, Claire Harmon, Brandis Heffner, and Mariah Dawson
