Every post-spring camp college football top 25 in one place

We won’t have preseason college football rankings for a while yet. Instead, we’ve got post-spring rankings doing just enough to set the table for all the debate to come. Is Ohio State the undisputed No. 1 team in the land? Do Oregon and Indiana have a case? Do we believe in Kyle Whittingham at Michigan, Matt Campbell at Penn State or James Franklin at Virginia Tech?

During the offseason, opinions are in the eye of the beholder (yes, I’m looking at you, Mike Elko). But some opinions are more popular than others, even when it comes to top 25 rankings.

Consensus college football rankings after spring camp

These consensus rankings were compiled using spring rankings from USA Today, ESPN, Sporting News, Fox Sports, SP+ and FanSided.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (4)
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
3. Oregon Ducks (1)
4. Georgia Bulldogs
5. Texas Longhorns
6. Indiana Hoosiers (1)
7. Miami Hurricanes
8. Texas A&M Aggies
9. Oklahoma Sooners
10. Texas Tech Red Raiders
11. Ole Miss Rebels
12. LSU Tigers
13. Alabama Crimson Tide
14. USC Trojans
15. Michigan Wolverines
16. BYU Cougars
17. Penn State Nittany Lions
18. Utah Utes
19. SMU Mustangs
20. Iowa Hawkeyes
21. Washington Huskies
22. Tennessee Volunteers
23. Houston Cougars
24. Louisville Cardinals
25. Clemson Tigers

Others receiving votes: Florida Gators, South Carolina Gamecocks, Arizona Wildcats, Florida State Seminoles, Illinois Fighting Illini, Boise State Broncos, Virginia Tech Cavaliers

The No. 1 debate: Ohio State vs. Oregon vs. Indiana

Of the six post-spring top 25s we included in the consensus, four ranked Ohio State the No. 1 team. USA Today called the Buckeyes’ offense “virtually unstoppable” (though we can think of other offenses that may rival them this year) ESPN predicted the formula that worked in hiring Matt Patricia as defensive coordinator would strike gold again with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. FanSided’s Cody Williams called Ohio State a “lock to be ranked No. 1 overall in the AP Top 25.” Even the rankings that didn’t put the Buckeyes at the top had them no lower than No. 3.

While they’re the consensus No. 1, the Buckeyes aren’t the only team with No. 1 consideration. Joel Klatt of Fox Sports gave the nod to the Oregon Ducks, who they called a “veteran-led team” with the “best defensive line in the country.”

Meanwhile, Bill Bender of Sporting News is still buying into Indiana, highlighting incoming transfers QB Josh Hoover, RB Turbo Richard and WR Nick Marsh, plus returning starters on defense like DT Tyrique Tucker, LB Rolijah Hardy and CB Jamari Sharpe.

Outlier rankings

While everyone seems to agree that Ohio State, Notre Dame and Georgia belong in the top five, there’s some skepticism to be found around some surprising teams. USA Today’s Erick Smith and Paul Myerberg are far lower on Oregon than the rest. They ranked the Ducks No. 8, citing question marks about Dan Lanning replacing both coordinators by promoting from within.

Common top-five picks Texas and Indiana also have doubters. Fox Sports and FanSided ranked the Longhorns and Hoosiers No. 7, respectively.

But those are far less polarizing than rankings for Texas Tech, USC, LSU and Alabama.

• Texas Tech’s highest ranking is No. 7 by SP+ (the non-human voter) but their lowest is No. 20 by Sporting News. That’s a 13-spot variance. It’s still 12 spots if you disregard the computer rankings and go by ESPN’s No. 8 ranking.
• USC is simultaneously one of the most agreed-upon and polarizing team in the top 25. The Trojans appear at No. 10 in three of the six rankings: USA Today, Sporting News and Fox Sports (only Ohio State at No. 1 and Miami at No. 6 appeared in one spot with as much frequency). However, ESPN is skeptical of the Trojans, setting them at No. 20. That’s a 10-place difference.
• LSU’s highest ranking is No. 8 by Fox Sports. Their lowest is No. 17 by USA Today. That’s a nine-spot difference.
• Alabama’s lone top 10 ranking comes courtesy of FanSided at No. 9. Fox Sports and ESPN agree with the Crimson Tide at 16, their lowest ranking. That’s a seven-spot disagreement.

While there are some pretty severe outliers in the rankings, the strongest agreements were between Ohio State, Georgia, Miami and Penn State, who appear in every ranking within a three-spot window. Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Michigan are close behind with no more than a four-spot variance. The consensus around Penn State and Texas A&M is noteworthy, as we highlighted those among ESPN’s most overrated teams this spring.

Complete post-spring college football rankings

The table below features the complete rankings from each top 25, along with the consensus.