The defending National Champion Oklahoma has been unanimously voted No. 1 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Preseason Coaches Poll. The Sooners finished the 2021 season 56-4 while winning their fifth national title, the third in the last five years.
| Rank | School (First Place Votes) | Points | Final 2021 Record | Final 2021 Ranking |
| 1 | Oklahoma (32) | 800 | 56-4 | 1 |
| 2 | Alabama | 758 | 52-9 | 3 |
| 3 | UCLA | 700 | 47-7 | 5 |
| 4 | Florida State | 696 | 49-13-1 | 2 |
| 5 | Oklahoma State | 680 | 48-12 | 6 |
| 6 | Florida | 601 | 45-11 | 9 |
| 7 | Washington | 571 | 45-14 | 10 |
| 8 | Arkansas | 515 | 43-11 | 11 |
| 9 | Arizona | 499 | 41-15 | 7 |
| 10 | Texas | 491 | 43-14 | 12 |
| 11 | Missouri | 421 | 42-17 | 13 |
| 12 | Georgia | 416 | 34-23 | 8 |
| 13 | Virginia Tech | 385 | 37-15 | 14 |
| 14 | LSU | 361 | 35-22 | 15 |
| 15 | Clemson | 346 | 44-8 | 18 |
| 16 | Michigan | 321 | 38-8 | 19 |
| 17 | JMU | 286 | 41-4 | 4 |
| 18 | Oregon | 282 | 40-17 | 17 |
| 19 | Kentucky | 278 | 43-16 | 16 |
| 20 | Duke | 275 | 44-12 | 20 |
| 21 | Arizona State | 185 | 33-16 | 21 |
| 22 | Tennessee | 178 | 42-15 | 23 |
| 23 | Louisiana | 128 | 47-12 | 22 |
| 24 | Liberty | 62 | 44-15 | 25 |
| 25 | Wichita State | 59 | 41-13-1 | 24 |
Receiving Votes: UCF (21), Minnesota (19), Northwestern (14), Notre Dame (14), Ole Miss (8), Iowa State (4), Stanford (4), Alabama State (1), BYU (1), Fresno State (1), Mississippi State (1).