CBS Sports releases full preseason top 138 college football rankings, spotlighting every SEC team

College football preseason takes another step from the usual top-25 chatter to a full, end-to-end ranking exercise, with CBS Sports publishing what it describes as a complete 1-138 set of preseason team rankings. The release is designed to put every FBS program into a single national order, rather than stopping after the most-discussed contenders.

What makes the update especially relevant for conference followers is CBS Sports’ decision to publish the full slate “including every SEC rank,” a scope that gives the league’s 14 teams their exact placement in the broader national picture. For programs in the SEC, those rankings often become a public reference point for preseason expectations, recruiting narratives, and offseason debates about who is positioned for meaningful September and October wins.

Preseason rankings are inherently speculative because they are built around projections, returning production, roster quality, and staff continuity. They also do not guarantee how teams will perform once fall camp brings real health information, depth chart clarity, and on-field chemistry. Even when the ranking methodology is consistent year to year, the team-building reality for each school can change quickly between July and the first snap.

Still, a full 1-138 list can matter in practical ways. A team placed in the upper tier tends to receive more national attention in the early-season media cycle, while a team placed nearer the middle or bottom often has to overcome a heavier “prove-it” burden in league play. In the SEC, that can shape expectations around division races, marquee matchup storylines, and how quickly teams are judged when the schedule starts awarding conference points.

For fans, the release also creates a baseline conversation for what to watch once the season begins: whether preseason consensus teams stay near their ranking spots, whether lower-ranked programs leverage late-season momentum, and whether offseason storylines that did not show up in preseason assessments gain traction once games start to provide definitive answers.

With the rankings now out, the next test will come from the first month of competition. Early nonconference results can shift a team’s perceived trajectory, but SEC play tends to be the sharper measuring stick because it compresses the number of chances for teams to separate themselves from the pack in head-to-head environments.

CBS Sports’ preseason list is not a standings forecast, but it does offer a clear, national ordering at a moment when expectations are still fluid. The immediate takeaway is straightforward: every SEC team now has a public preseason rank to reference, and the season’s opening stretch will determine how much those preseason placements hold up under the realities of the schedule.