Ohio State is ranked third in the preseason AP poll – behind two teams it will play in the Shoe this year.
While the Buckeyes were ranked second in the preseason Coaches Poll, Ohio State is ranked third in the preseason AP Top 25 behind Texas and Penn State. Ohio State will face Texas in a top-three matchup to begin the season while it will host Penn State on Nov. 1.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEXAS | 0–0 | 1552 (25) |
| 2 | PENN STATE | 0–0 | 1547 (23) |
| 3 | OHIO STATE | 0–0 | 1472 (11) |
| 4 | CLEMSON | 0–0 | 1398 (4) |
| 5 | GEORGIA | 0–0 | 1331 (1) |
| 6 | NOTRE DAME | 0–0 | 1325 (0) |
| 7 | OREGON | 0–0 | 1236 (1) |
| 8 | ALABAMA | 0–0 | 1179 (0) |
| 9 | LSU | 0–0 | 1174 (0) |
| 10 | MIAMI (FL) | 0–0 | 889 (0) |
| 11 | ARIZONA STATE | 0–0 | 791 (0) |
| 12 | ILLINOIS | 0–0 | 713 (0) |
| 13 | SOUTH CAROLINA | 0–0 | 667 (0) |
| 14 | MICHIGAN | 0–0 | 662 (0) |
| 15 | FLORIDA | 0–0 | 626 (0) |
| 16 | SMU | 0–0 | 565 (0) |
| 17 | KANSAS STATE | 0–0 | 512 (0) |
| 18 | OKLAHOMA | 0–0 | 463 (0) |
| 19 | TEXAS A&M | 0–0 | 434 (0) |
| 20 | INDIANA | 0–0 | 423 (0) |
| 21 | OLE MISS | 0–0 | 370 (0) |
| 22 | IOWA STATE | 0–0 | 309 (0) |
| 23 | TEXAS TECH | 0–0 | 274 (0) |
| 24 | TENNESSEE | 0–0 | 192 (0) |
| 25 | BOISE STATE | 0–0 | 191 (0) |
Texas was voted by the AP’s panel of voters as the top team entering the season even though the Longhorns lost to the Buckeyes in last year’s College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl. Led by highly touted junior quarterback Arch Manning, standout edge defender Colin Simmons and linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., the Longhorns will come to the Shoe as a national championship frontrunner.
Penn State is ranked as the second-best team nationally in the preseason poll – receiving just five fewer total voting points than Texas – after it was also picked as the favorite to win the Big Ten this year. Like Ohio State when it won the Big Ten last year, Penn State has a multitude of returning veteran stars including quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen and defensive linemen Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zane Durant, among others.
Ohio State received 11 first-place votes from AP voters with Texas receiving 25 and Penn State getting 23. No. 4 Clemson received four first-place votes while No. 5 Georgia and No. 7 Oregon each received one.
Penn State, Ohio State and Oregon lead a contingent of six Big Ten teams in the preseason AP poll that also includes Illinois (No. 12), Michigan (No. 14) and Indiana (No. 20). Ohio State plays Illinois on the road on Oct. 11 and Michigan in Ann Arbor on Nov. 29, giving the Buckeyes four top-14 opponents on their regular-season schedule.
