The first regular-season AP Top 25 is typically an overhaul from the preseason poll as voters get a better sense how good teams might actually be.
This season certainly is no different.
Houston was No. 1 in the poll released Monday, swapping spots with Purdue by earning three more points overall. The Cougars received 18 first-place votes from a 61-person media panel and Purdue had 36, with four other teams also getting at least one.
UConn, Duke, and Arizona round out the top five in a chaotic poll that saw only four teams hold their positions from the preseason poll, yet no one moved in or out of the poll.
Houston, which lost to Florida in last spring’s national championship game, is No. 1 for the first time since a three-week stint in 2024.