College football coaches believe Ohio State will be one of the nation's best teams this season.
The Buckeyes ranked fourth behind Georgia, Michigan and Alabama in the preseason USA TODAY Coaches Poll, which was released on Monday. Ohio State ranked ahead of LSU, USC, Penn State, Florida State, Clemson and Tennesee, who rounded out the top 10.
Georgia led all teams with 61 first-place votes following back-to-back national championship seasons for the Bulldogs. Alabama and Ohio State were the only other programs to receive first-place votes, as the Crimson Tide earned four and the Buckeyes earned one.
Along with Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State, the only other Big Ten team to make the preseason Coaches Poll was Wisconsin. Minnesota (16), Maryland (10) and Illinois (7) were featured in the "Others Receiving Votes" category.
Here is the complete top 25:
| RANK | TEAM | PTS | 1st VOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GEORGIA | 1643 | 61 |
| 2 | MICHIGAN | 1510 | 0 |
| 3 | ALABAMA | 1489 | 4 |
| 4 | OHIO STATE | 1485 | 1 |
| 5 | LOUISIANA STATE | 1294 | 0 |
| 6 | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA | 1228 | 0 |
| 7 | PENN STATE | 1181 | 0 |
| 8 | FLORIDA STATE | 1145 | 0 |
| 9 | CLEMSON | 1078 | 0 |
| 10 | TENNESSEE | 991 | 0 |
| 11 | WASHINGTON | 941 | 0 |
| 12 | TEXAS | 848 | 0 |
| 13 | NOTRE DAME | 841 | 0 |
| 14 | UTAH | 839 | 0 |
| 15 | OREGON | 820 | 0 |
| 16 | TEXAS CHRISTIAN | 655 | 0 |
| 17 | KANSAS STATE | 440 | 0 |
| 18 | OREGON STATE | 365 | 0 |
| 19 | OKLAHOMA | 320 | 0 |
| 20 | NORTH CAROLINA | 315 | 0 |
| 21 | WISCONSIN | 309 | 0 |
| 22 | MISSISSIPPI | 303 | 0 |
| 23 | TULANE | 225 | 0 |
| 24 | TEXAS TECH | 200 | 0 |
| 25 | TEXAS A&M | 196 | 0 |
The Buckeyes finished fourth in the final 2022 Coaches Poll after a season in which Ohio State suffered its second consecutive loss to Michigan in its last regular-season contest and fell to the eventual national champion Georgia, 42-41, in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Peach Bowl.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day enters his fifth season with the Buckeyes in 2023. He will have 13 returning starters on offense and defense, headlined by unanimous All-American wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. Day will also have several question marks to resolve before the season starts, including a decision between Kyle McCord and Devin Brown at quarterback, which five players will start on the offensive line and how the Buckeyes' defense can improve in Jim Knowles' second year.
The Buckeyes will continue with preseason practices this week and over the next three weeks. Ohio State will open its season on the road in Bloomington, Indiana, where the team will battle the Hoosiers on Sept. 2 at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.
