Ohio State Ranked No. 2 in AP Poll Despite Postponed Season

Despite nearly half of Division I college football teams postponing their seasons to the spring, the AP Poll ranked all teams in its preseason rankings, including those not playing in the fall. After games begin, however, the poll will rank only teams that are scheduled to play.

“The preseason poll has always been a speculative ranking of teams based on last year’s results and knowledge about the new makeup of teams,” said Michael Giarrusso, AP’s global sports editor. “This year, we think it is crucial to give all the teams and all their fans a snapshot look at what the Top 25 would have been to open the season.”

With the unusual method, Ohio State checks in at No. 2 behind only Clemson, leading the way among Big Ten teams and teams that will not be competing this fall. The Buckeyes received 21 first-place votes.

Five other Big Ten programs cracked the top-25 with Penn State checking in at No. 7, Wisconsin at No. 12, Michigan at No. 16, Minnesota at No. 19 and Iowa at No. 25. 

None of those teams be seen in the poll the rest of the year as the conference has postponed its fall athletics season, but the AP Poll is open to ranking teams if a season takes place in the spring, as well.

“The AP and our voters have no idea what a spring football season will look like. But we are open to adapting and finding a way for our Top 25 voters to be involved in ranking teams if real games are played in the spring of 2021,” Giarrusso said.

Here's the full AP Poll: