COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — As Ohio State Buckeyes football season looms, preseason polls are starting to flow in and the first major one has been released.
The Buckeyes have been ranked No. 2 in the USA Today preseason coaches poll just behind the No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, marking seven consecutive seasons in the preseason top-five for OSU.
Ohio State received five first-place votes as they earn its second No. 2 ranking in the preseason coaches poll in the last three seasons.
Rounding out the top-five are the defending national champions Georgia at No. 3, Clemson at No. 4, and the Buckeyes’ first opponent, Notre Dame, coming in at No. 5.
No. 2 Ohio State will play No. 5 Notre Dame on September 3 under the lights at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
Last season’s Big Ten champions Michigan are the second-highest ranked Big Ten school at No. 6. Cincinnati enters the preseason poll at No. 22 just one year after making the College Football Playoff.
| 1 | Alabama (64) |
| 2 | Ohio State (5) |
| 3 | Georgia (6) |
| 4 | Clemson |
| 5 | Notre Dame |
| 6 | Michigan |
| 7 | Texas A&M |
| 8 | Utah |
| 9 | Oklahoma |
| 10 | Baylor |
| 11 | Oklahoma State |
| 12 | Oregon |
| 13 | North Carolina State |
| 14 | Michigan State |
| 15 | USC |
| 16 | Pittsburgh |
| 17 | Miami (Florida) |
| 18 | Texas (1) |
| 19 | Wake Forest |
| 20 | Wisconsin |
| 21 | Kentucky |
| 22 | Cincinnati |
| 23 | Arkansas |
| 24 | Mississippi |
| 25 | Houston |