With the 2025 college football season now in the rearview mirror, it’s time to turn our attention to what comes next: 2026.
There’s no better way to do that than by diving into the sport’s annual tradition of “way-too-early” top 25 rankings and national championship odds. So that’s exactly what we’re doing here. In this article, we examine where Ohio State lands in early 2026 top 25 projections from several major college football outlets and how the Buckeyes stack up against the rest of the country heading into the new season.
Let’s dive in.
CBS Sports: No. 1
The nation's most accurate passer, Julian Sayin, and the best player in the sport, Jeremiah Smith, return to Ohio State. That's enough to garner consideration for a top-five ranking. The Buckeyes should still have one of the more talented rosters in college football. The big question is how the defense reloads under coordinator Matt Patricia, who has already proven himself elite, having led a rebuild in his first season and turning the Buckeyes into a better version of themselves. Eight defenders arrive from a top-five portal class. — Brandon Marcello
Rounding out the top 10: Texas, Georgia, Oregon, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Indiana, Michigan and Oklahoma
Ranked opponents on Ohio State’s 2026 schedule: @ No. 2 Texas, No. 4 Oregon, @ No. 8 Indiana, No. 9 Michigan and @ No. 11 USC
On3: No. 1
Having the top pass-catch combo in college football is always a good place to start. Julian Sayin returns at quarterback and Jeremiah Smith at receiver. They hooked up for 12 touchdowns in 2015. Running back Bo Jackson, after rushing for 1,090 yards and earning true freshman All-America honors, is also returning, along with the left side of the offensive line and center Carson Hinzman. The Buckeyes lost a ton on defense, so bringing back defensive end Kenyatta Jackson after his breakout 2025 season was a big win for Ryan Day. The Buckeyes are hopeful Alabama transfer Qua Russaw can add some pass-rushing punch. — Chris Low
Rounding out the top 10: Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame, Indiana, Oregon, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Miami and Oklahoma
Ranked opponents on Ohio State’s 2026 schedule: @ No. 3 Texas, @ No. 5 Indiana, No. 6 Oregon, No. 11 Michigan, @ No. 19 USC and @ No. 21 Iowa
Sports Illustrated: No. 1
The Buckeyes lose a number of key players off of the best scoring defense in the country (Caleb Downs, Arvell Reese) but restocked through the portal and have the best core group of offensive players back for another season in QB Julian Sayin, RB Bo Jackson and, of course, wideout Jeremiah Smith. Ohio State travels to Texas in Week 2 to go along with tricky trips to Indiana, Iowa and USC, but host Michigan and Oregon at the Horseshoe. Given that the Buckeyes are riding a two-game losing streak, Ryan Day’s team figures to be well motivated for another College Football Playoff run with the end goal of reaching fabulous Las Vegas. — Bryan Fischer
Rounding out the top 10: Notre Dame, Georgia, Texas, Indiana, Oregon, Miami, Texas Tech, BYU and LSU
Ranked opponents on Ohio State’s 2026 schedule: @ No. 4 Texas, @ No. 5 Indiana, No. 6 Oregon, No. 11 Michigan, @ No. 13 USC and @ No. 16 Iowa
Fox Sports: No. 2
The Buckeyes lost more than three dozen players to the NFL Draft or transfer portal, but Ryan Day’s program returns starting quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. While Day lost offensive coordinator and receivers coach Brian Hartline, now the South Florida coach, he retains defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who led the nation’s top scoring defense in 2025. — RJ Young
Ahead of Ohio State: Indiana
Rounding out the top 10: Oregon, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Texas, Miami, Georgia, Texas A&M and BYU
Ranked opponents on Ohio State’s 2026 schedule: @ No. 1 Indiana, No. 3 Oregon, @ No. 6 Texas, No. 16 Michigan and @ No. 24 USC
USA TODAY: No. 2
The Buckeyes are the preseason Big Ten favorites thanks to an offense that brings back some of the nation’s top players in quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. This group has yet to hire a new coordinator but is expected to operate at a a higher pace than this year's offense. Key portal additions such as safeties Terry Moore (Duke) and Earl Little Jr. (Florida State) and cornerback Dominick Kelly (Georgia) will keep the defense near the top of the FBS. OSU will face one of the nation’s top schedules that include road games against Texas, Indiana, Iowa and Southern California, but the schedule could make it better prepared for the playoff after getting bounced in this year's quarterfinals. — Erick Smith and Paul Myerberg
Ahead of Ohio State: Texas
Rounding out the top 10: Georgia, Indiana, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Oregon and Miami
Ranked opponents on Ohio State’s 2026 schedule: @ No. 1 Texas, @ No. 3 Indiana, No. 9 Oregon, @ No. 12 USC, No. 14 Michigan and @ No. 21 Iowa
ESPN: No. 6
On paper, with quarterback Julian Sayin, tailback Bo Jackson and all-world receiver Jeremiah Smith returning, one would think the Buckeyes would be just as good in 2026. But along with having to replace key pieces on defense, Ohio State will face one of the most demanding schedules in the FBS next season. The Buckeyes will play road games at Texas, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and USC and home contests against Illinois, Michigan and Oregon. It doesn't get much tougher than that. That being said, OSU's offense is going to be difficult to stop, especially if its offensive line improves. Coach Ryan Day still hasn't named a replacement for coordinator Brian Hartline, who left to become South Florida's coach. Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has some plug-and-play transfers in Little, Moore, Russaw and Smith. — Mark Schlabach
Ahead of Ohio State: Indiana, Texas, Notre Dame, Georgia and Oregon
Rounding out the top 10: Texas Tech, Miami, Ole Miss and Texas A&M
Ranked opponents on Ohio State’s 2026 schedule: @ No. 1 Indiana, No. 5 Oregon, @ No. 13 USC, @ No. 16 Iowa and No. 18 Michigan
National Championship Odds
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Ohio State and Notre Dame enter the 2026 season tied for the best national championship odds at +650. Indiana sits just behind the Buckeyes and Irish at +700, while Texas isn’t far off at +750. Oregon, Georgia, LSU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Miami round out the rest of the top 10.
- Ohio State: +650
- Notre Dame: +650
- Indiana: +700
- Texas: +750
- Oregon: +900
- Georgia: +1100
- LSU: +1400
- Texas A&M: +1500
- Texas Tech: +1600
- Miami: +1900
