The Seminoles will start the season No. 1 for the sixth time — the first since 1999 when they became the first team to hold the top spot for the entire season.
Florida State received 57 of 60 first-place votes Sunday from the media panel. No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Oregon and No. 4 Oklahoma each received one first-place vote. Ohio State is No. 5 and Auburn is No. 6.
Winston, the Heisman Trophy winner last season as a redshirt freshman, led Florida State to a 34-31 victory against Auburn in the last BCS national championship game.
This season the Bowl Championship Series is being replaced by the College Football Playoff. A selection committee will pick the top four teams in the country for two national semifinals.
After back to back seasons finishing ranked in the top 25, Louisville enters the 2014 unranked. Louisville did receive 48 votes, however. If the poll extended beyond 25, Louisville would be ranked No. 31.
The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press preseason college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, 2013 records, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and 2013 final ranking:
| Record | Pts | Pv | |
| 1. Florida St. (57) | 14-0 | 1,496 | 1 |
| 2. Alabama (1) | 11-2 | 1,361 | 7 |
| 3. Oregon (1) | 11-2 | 1,334 | 9 |
| 4. Oklahoma (1) | 11-2 | 1,324 | 6 |
| 5. Ohio St. | 12-2 | 1,207 | 12 |
| 6. Auburn | 12-2 | 1,198 | 2 |
| 7. UCLA | 10-3 | 1,106 | 16 |
| 8. Michigan St. | 13-1 | 1,080 | 3 |
| 9. South Carolina | 11-2 | 1,015 | 4 |
| 10. Baylor | 11-2 | 966 | 13 |
| 11. Stanford | 11-3 | 885 | 11 |
| 12. Georgia | 8-5 | 843 | NR |
| 13. LSU | 10-3 | 776 | 14 |
| 14. Wisconsin | 9-4 | 637 | 22 |
| 15. Southern Cal | 10-4 | 626 | 19 |
| 16. Clemson | 11-2 | 536 | 8 |
| 17. Notre Dame | 9-4 | 445 | 21 |
| 18. Mississippi | 8-5 | 424 | NR |
| 19. Arizona St. | 10-4 | 357 | 20 |
| 20. Kansas St. | 8-5 | 242 | NR |
| 21. Texas A&M | 9-4 | 238 | 18 |
| 22. Nebraska | 9-4 | 226 | NR |
| 23. North Carolina | 7-6 | 194 | NR |
| 24. Missouri | 12-2 | 134 | 5 |
| 25. Washington | 9-4 | 130 | 25 |
Others receiving votes: UCF 94, Florida 87, Texas 86, Duke 71, Iowa 68, Louisville 48, Marshall 41, Oklahoma St. 37, Virginia Tech 26, TCU 23, Mississippi St. 22, Michigan 19, Texas Tech 19, Miami 16, Cincinnati 15, Boise St. 10, Oregon St. 10, BYU 8, Northwestern 8, Penn St. 5, Navy 2, Vanderbilt 2, Louisiana 1, Nevada 1, Utah St. 1.
