Power 4 Dominance Underscored by Preseason Top 25 Rankings</TITLE]SOUTH BEND, INDIANA – OCTOBER 4: Maddux Madsen #4 of the Boise State Broncos runs the ball during the NCAA game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Boise State Broncos at Notre Dame Stadium on October 4, 2025 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)Getty ImagesRecent years have demonstrated an expanding divide between major conference programs and those in lower-tier leagues. This gap is driven not only by disparities in revenue sharing and Name, Image, and Likness (NIL) funding but also by the transfer portal, which allows premier programs to recruit elite talent from smaller schools, further separating the “haves” from the “have-nots.”The preseason poll from the American Football Coaches Association highlights this imbalance. Of the top 25 ranked teams, 24 hail from the “Power 4” conferences—the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12, and Southeastern Conference. The sole exception is No. 5 Notre Dame, an independent with the financial resources and historic tradition of any major program.The Power 4 also occupies the next 10 highest vote-getters in the poll. Boise State, representing the newly expanded Pac-12, stands as the highest-ranked non-Power 4 program with 24 votes, ranking 36th overall. Other non-Power 4 programs receiving votes include UNLV of the Mountain West (17), Memphis of the American Conference (9), and James Madison of the Sun Belt (6).Additional votes were cast for New Mexico (4), Navy (3), Western Michigan (3), San Diego State (2), Hawaii (1), and Jacksonville State (1).With the College Football Playoff (CFP) expanding to 12 teams, the rules now provide an automatic berth for the highest-ranked champion from the “Group of 6” conferences—the American, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt, and Pac-12. Unlike previous years where a non-Power 4 team had to win its conference title to qualify, the current rules grant the bid to the highest-ranked Group of 6 team, regardless of whether they win their league.Despite this opportunity, historical performance has been challenging for smaller programs. In 2024, Boise State suffered a 31-14 defeat to Penn State in their opener. In previous seasons, Tulane and James Madison both faced decisive losses in the first round, falling to Ole Miss and Oregon, respectively.Currently, Tulane and James Madison are in rebuilding phases following the departure of key personnel to major programs. Tulane’s Jon Sumrall has moved to Florida, and James Madison’s Bob Chesney has joined UCLA. Chesney’s move to UCLA included several key players, including star running back Wayne Knight, receiver Landon Ellis, linebacker Drew Spinogatti, and defensive linemen Sahir West and Aiden Gobaira.Tulane has also seen significant talent drain via the transfer portal to Power 4 schools such as Arkansas, Arizona State, Colorado, Houston, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State, Pitt, and Tennessee. Similarly, James Madison players have transferred to Auburn, Central Florida, Colorado, Iowa, Oklahoma State, and Penn State.The movement of talent continues to favor the elite; notable transfers include Drew Mestemaker and Caleb Hawkins from North Texas to Oklahoma State, Justice Haynes from Memphis to Georgia Tech, Ty Benefield from Boise State to LSU, and Ja’Marley Riddle from East Carolina to Georgia.Legislative efforts like the Protect College Sports Act aim to curb this movement by limiting player transfers, but even if a one-time transfer rule were implemented, the most talented players from the Group of 6 would likely still gravitate toward the financial advantages of the Power 4. While the CFP’s automatic berth offers a pathway to national prominence for smaller schools, the fundamental resource gap remains a significant hurdle.