The USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll dropped on Tuesday, and the LSU Tigers came in ranked #13.
The Tigers are one of seven SEC teams ranked in the top 15. The conference has nine teams in the overall top 25.
Ohio State comes in as the preseason #1 team, followed by Oregon, Georgia, Texas, and Notre Dame to round out the top five. The defending national champions Indiana find themselves ranked #6.
LSU is coming off of a 7-6 overall season in 2025. Brian Kelly was fired midseason, and Lane Kiffin was ultimately brought in to try to right the ship.
LSU opens the 2026 season on Saturday, September 5th with a 6:30 PM game in Tiger Stadium against the Clemson Tigers. You can listen to that game and every LSU football game on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette 104.1 Lake Charles.
The full USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll is as follows:
| Rank | Team | Record | PTS | 1st | Prev | Chg | Hi/Lo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 0-0 | 1741 | 38 | NR | – | 1/1 |
| 2 | Oregon Ducks | 0-0 | 1637 | 6 | NR | – | 2/2 |
| 3 | Georgia Bulldogs | 0-0 | 1591 | 7 | NR | – | 3/3 |
| 4 | Texas Longhorns | 0-0 | 1544 | 2 | NR | – | 4/4 |
| 5 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 0-0 | 1524 | 5 | NR | – | 5/5 |
| 6 | Indiana Hoosiers | 0-0 | 1522 | 14 | NR | – | 6/6 |
| 7 | Miami (FL) Hurricanes | 0-0 | 1409 | 0 | NR | – | 7/7 |
| 8 | Texas A&M Aggies | 0-0 | 1174 | 0 | NR | – | 8/8 |
| 9 | Oklahoma Sooners | 0-0 | 1104 | 0 | NR | – | 9/9 |
| 10 | Ole Miss Rebels | 0-0 | 1096 | 0 | NR | – | 10/10 |
| 11 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 0-0 | 1050 | 0 | NR | – | 11/11 |
| 12 | Texas Tech Red Raiders | 0-0 | 1034 | 0 | NR | – | 12/12 |
| 13 | LSU Tigers | 0-0 | 951 | 0 | NR | – | 13/13 |
| 14 | USC Trojans | 0-0 | 838 | 0 | NR | – | 14/14 |
| 15 | BYU Cougars | 0-0 | 781 | 0 | NR | – | 15/15 |
| 16 | Michigan Wolverines | 0-0 | 719 | 0 | NR | – | 16/16 |
| 17 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 0-0 | 463 | 0 | NR | – | 17/17 |
| 18 | Tennessee Volunteers | 0-0 | 428 | 0 | NR | – | 18/18 |
| 19 | Washington Huskies | 0-0 | 406 | 0 | NR | – | 19/19 |
| 20 | SMU Mustangs | 0-0 | 378 | 0 | NR | – | 20/20 |
| 21 | Utah Utes | 0-0 | 313 | 0 | NR | – | 21/21 |
| 22 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 0-0 | 291 | 0 | NR | – | 22/22 |
| 23 | Clemson Tigers | 0-0 | 235 | 0 | NR | – | 23/23 |
| 24 | Houston Cougars | 0-0 | 194 | 0 | NR | – | 24/24 |
| 25 | Missouri Tigers | 0-0 | 158 | 0 | NR | – | 25/25 |
Others Receiving Votes
Louisville 153; Florida 147; TCU 63; Illinois 62; South Carolina 50; Arizona 50; Virginia 40; Vanderbilt 37; Auburn 29; Georgia Tech 26; Boise State 24; Oklahoma State 22; UNLV 17; North Carolina State 13; Florida State 13; Virginia Tech 12; Nebraska 12; Memphis 9; Arizona State 8; James Madison 6; Duke 6; Pittsburgh 4; New Mexico 4; Western Michigan 3; Navy 3; San Diego State 2; Kansas State 1; Jacksonville State 1; Hawaii 1; California 1;