:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47014670/usa-today-8329395.0.jpg)
The Associated Press released its preseason top 25 this afternoon and, as you might expect, the Boise State Broncos found their way into the rankings.
Bryan Harsin's team will begin the year at #23, which represents a 7-spot drop from last year's postseason rankings but a significant improvement from last year's preseason poll (in which the Broncos received just 10 points, good for 41st overall). What might be somewhat galling to Boise fans, however, is not only being ranked just behind the team they beat in January's Fiesta Bowl, but four other Power 5 teams which finished 2014 outside the top 25.
Other fanbases around the conference that might have expected some down-ballot appreciation will be disappointed by the preseason rankings, since the Broncos were the only Mountain West team to receive any votes at all.
| Associated Press Top 25 | |||
| Rank | Team (1st-place votes) | 2014 record (final ranking) | Points |
| 1 | Ohio State (61) | 14-1 (1) | 1525 |
| 2 | TCU | 12-1 (3) | 1428 |
| 3 | Alabama | 12-2 (4) | 1322 |
| 4 | Baylor | 11-2 (7) | 1263 |
| 5 | Michigan State | 11-2 (T5) | 1256 |
| 6 | Auburn | 8-5 (22) | 1192 |
| 7 | Oregon | 13-2 (2) | 1156 |
| 8 | USC | 9-4 (20) | 1085 |
| 9 | Georgia | 10-3 (9) | 991 |
| 10 | Florida State | 13-1 (T5) | 959 |
| 11 | Notre Dame | 8-5 (NR) | 873 |
| 12 | Clemson | 10-3 (15) | 862 |
| 13 | UCLA | 10-3 (10) | 698 |
| 14 | LSU | 8-5 (NR) | 675 |
| 15 | Arizona State | 10-3 (12) | 605 |
| 16 | Georgia Tech | 11-3 (8) | 588 |
| 17 | Mississippi | 9-4 (17) | 563 |
| 18 | Arkansas | 7-6 (NR) | 410 |
| 19 | Oklahoma | 8-5 (NR) | 394 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 11-3 (13) | 393 |
| 21 | Stanford | 8-5 (NR) | 347 |
| 22 | Arizona | 10-4 (19) | 311 |
| 23 | Boise State | 12-2 (16) | 240 |
| 24 | Missouri | 11-3 (14) | 219 |
| 25 | Tennessee | 7-6 (NR) | 114 |
| Others receiving votes: Mississippi State 100, Texas A&M 61, Oklahoma State 46, Virginia Tech 42, Utah 36, Penn State 20, Louisville 12, Cincinnati 8, Nebraska 6, Kansas State 5, Florida 4, North Carolina State 4, Texas 3, BYU 2, Michigan 2, Northern Illinois 2, Cal 1, Western Kentucky 1, West Virginia 1 | |||