The top 25 teams in the preseason USA Today college football coaches' poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, 2005 records, points based on 25 points for a first-place vote, through one point for a 25th-place vote and final ranking:

School	Record	Pts	Pvs
1. Ohio State (28)	10-2	1,487	4
2. Texas (11)	13-0	1,378	1
3. Notre Dame (9)	9-3	1,348	11
tie. Southern California (1)	12-1	1,348	2
5. Oklahoma (13)	8-4	1,320	22
6. Auburn (1)	9-3	1,206	14
7. West Virginia	11-1	1,202	6
8. Florida	9-3	1,054	16
9. LSU	11-2	1,037	5
10. Florida State	8-5	874	23
11. Miami (Fla.)	9-3	839	18
12. California	8-4	798	25
13. Louisville	9-3	785	20
14. Georgia	10-3	784	10
15. Michigan	7-5	778	NR
16. Virginia Tech	11-2	591	7
17. Iowa	7-5	519	NR
18. Clemson	8-4	493	21
19. Penn State	11-1	406	3
20. Oregon	10-2	373	12
21. TCU	11-1	270	9
22. Nebraska	8-4	261	24
23. Tennessee	5-6	216	NR
24. Alabama	10-2	210	8
25. Texas Tech	9-3	198	19

Others receiving votes: Arizona State 182; Boston College 87; Utah 84; Arkansas 64; South Carolina 55; Boise State 46; Wisconsin 37; UCLA 29; Georgia Tech 28; Fresno State 14; Tulsa 11; Iowa State 9; Minnesota 9; Maryland 8; Purdue 7; Texas A&M 6; Memphis 5; Nevada 3; Texas-El Paso 3; Arizona 2; Brigham Young 2; Northern Illinois 2; Northwestern 2; Oregon State 2; Rutgers 2; Colorado 1; Duke 1.