Honestly, the top 25 college teams in both football and basketball are looking more like a glitch in the simulation this year than a predictable sports season. We’re sitting in mid-January 2026, and if you told me a year ago that Indiana would be the #1 seed in the College Football Playoff while Nebraska and Vanderbilt were crashing the basketball top 10, I would’ve assumed you were playing a very weird game of NCAA Football 14.
But here we are.
The AP Poll dropped its latest basketball rankings on Monday, January 12, and the football world is literally days away from the National Championship between No. 1 Indiana and No. 10 Miami. It’s chaos. Absolute, beautiful chaos.
The Basketball Shakeup: Arizona Stands Alone (Sort Of)
Arizona is currently sitting at the top of the mountain. Tommy Lloyd’s Wildcats are a perfect 16-0 and just grabbed 60 out of 61 first-place votes in the latest AP Top 25 college basketball poll. They look unstoppable, but they’re moving into a Big 12 schedule that is basically a nightly fistfight.
Speaking of the Big 12, Iowa State moved up to No. 2 this week. They basically took over the spot vacated by Michigan, who fell to No. 4 after stumbling against Wisconsin. It’s weird seeing Michigan lose their first game and immediately drop, but that’s the reality when the top of the board is this crowded. UConn is chilling at No. 3, just waiting for someone to blink.
The Top 10 Basketball Hierarchy (As of Jan 12, 2026)
- Arizona (16-0) – The undisputed heavyweights.
- Iowa State (16-0) – Defense that makes you want to quit the sport.
- UConn (16-1) – The reigning blue bloods doing blue blood things.
- Michigan (14-1) – Still elite, just a little less "invincible" after the Wisconsin game.
- Purdue (15-1) – They just keep winning, even if the national buzz isn't as loud.
- Duke (15-1) – Freshman talent is clicking way earlier than usual.
- Houston (15-1) – Still the meanest defense in the country.
- Nebraska (16-0) – Their highest ranking since 1966. Seriously.
- Gonzaga (17-1) – Business as usual in Spokane.
- Vanderbilt (16-0) – The biggest "wait, what?" story of the decade.
Vanderbilt cracking the top 10 is the kind of thing that makes you check your internet connection. They haven't been this high since the 2011-12 preseason. Coach Mark Byington has that roster playing out of their minds.
📖 Related: How to watch vikings game online free without the usual headache
Football's Final Stand: Indiana vs. Miami is Real
While basketball is hitting its stride, the football season is reaching its absolute fever pitch. On Monday, January 19, we get the game nobody saw coming: No. 1 Indiana against No. 10 Miami for the national title.
Miami’s path has been a total gauntlet. They’ve already knocked off seven AP Top 25 opponents this year. If they beat Indiana, they’ll have eight, which puts them in the same stratosphere as those legendary Alabama and LSU teams. They just squeezed past No. 6 Ole Miss 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl.
Indiana, on the other hand, is 13-0. Curt Cignetti has done something in Bloomington that defies logic. They aren't just "good for Indiana." They are the best team in the country right now according to the committee.
The Final CFP Committee Top 25 (December 2025 Context)
The committee's final rankings from December 7 set the stage for this month's playoff madness. Even though some of these teams are now out of the bracket, these rankings define who gets the "Top 25" tag for the record books this season.
- 1. Indiana (13-0)
- 2. Ohio State (12-1)
- 3. Georgia (12-1)
- 4. Texas Tech (12-1)
- 5. Oregon (11-1)
- 6. Ole Miss (11-1)
- 7. Texas A&M (11-1)
- 8. Oklahoma (10-2)
- 9. Alabama (10-3)
- 10. Miami (10-2)
It's worth noting that Texas Tech at No. 4 was a massive win for the Big 12. Joey McGuire’s squad didn’t just hang around; they dominated. They’re expected to finish in the AP top 10 for the first time in school history once the final post-championship poll drops.
👉 See also: Liechtenstein National Football Team: Why Their Struggles are Different Than You Think
Why the SEC Isn't Dominating Basketball (Yet)
If you look at the top 25 college teams in basketball right now, the SEC is in a weird spot. They have six teams ranked, but five of them are sitting at No. 17 or lower.
Alabama took a massive tumble this week, dropping five spots to No. 18 after losing to Vanderbilt and then getting tripped up at home by Texas. Tennessee also slid down to No. 24. It’s a bloodbath. Florida, the defending national champ, actually just fought their way back into the poll at No. 19 after being unranked for a minute.
The Big 12 and Big Ten are currently the ones holding the power. Every single ranked team from those two conferences is inside the top 15. That’s insane depth.
The "Newbies" in the Rankings
- Virginia (No. 16): Ryan Odom has them flying. They jumped seven spots this week.
- Seton Hall (No. 25): First time they've been ranked since 2022.
- Utah State (No. 23): Proving that mid-majors still have a seat at the table.
- Clemson (No. 22): Brad Brownell has them playing a very gritty style that's hard to watch but harder to beat.
The Transfer Portal Factor
We can't talk about the top 25 college teams without admitting that half these rosters were built in the last six months. LSU and Texas Tech currently lead the 2025-2026 transfer rankings.
Look at Miami’s defense. It’s fueled by 47 sacks and 16 interceptions, many of those coming from guys who weren't in Coral Gables two years ago. The "soul" of college sports is different now. It’s more like a series of one-year mercenary contracts, and honestly, if it leads to a Miami-Indiana national title game, most fans aren't complaining.
✨ Don't miss: Cómo entender la tabla de Copa Oro y por qué los puntos no siempre cuentan la historia completa
Misconceptions About the Rankings
People always think the "preseason" rankings matter more than they do. Look at Kansas. They started the basketball season at No. 19, fell out, came back, and just fell out again after losing to West Virginia. Preseason hype is a lie.
Also, the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 in basketball is wider than the numbers suggest. Arizona earned 60 first-place votes. Iowa State got one. One. The Wildcats are in a different tier right now, but a single ankle sprain or a cold shooting night in Phog Allen (if they were still playing Kansas) changes everything.
How to Follow These Rankings Like a Pro
If you're trying to keep up with the top 25 college teams, don't just look at the record. Look at the "Trend" column.
- Watch the Net Rankings: The AP Poll is a beauty pageant. The NET is a math test. Teams like Houston always rank higher in the math than the pageant because they play a "boring" style.
- Check the Monday 1 PM ET Drop: That’s when the AP basketball poll goes live.
- Follow the "Others Receiving Votes": That's where the next Vanderbilt is hiding. Right now, teams like SMU and UCF are hovering right outside the top 25, just waiting for a Top 10 team to have a bad Saturday.
The landscape is shifting. With the 12-team playoff in football and the expanded conferences in basketball, the "Top 25" isn't a static list anymore. It’s a living, breathing, and often confusing document of who survived the week.
Keep an eye on the injury reports for the Indiana-Miami game on Monday night. That result will shift the final football rankings and likely crown a champion that nobody—and I mean nobody—saw coming back in August.
To stay ahead of the curve, check the official NCAA "NET" rankings every Tuesday morning to see which basketball teams are actually efficient, rather than just popular. For football, the final AP Poll will be released on the morning of Tuesday, January 20, immediately following the National Championship game.