For the first time since 2015, Ohio State is the No. 1 team in the preseason Coaches Poll.
The Buckeyes ranked No. 1 in the 2026 preseason Coaches Poll, which USA TODAY Sports released Tuesday. The rankings also underscored Ohio State's daunting schedule, as six opponents landed in the top 25: No. 2 Oregon, No. 4 Texas, No. 6 Indiana, No. 14 USC, No. 16 Michigan and No. 22 Iowa.
Ohio State received 38 of the 72 first-place votes in the preseason poll. Indiana garnered the second-most with 14, followed by Georgia (seven), Oregon (six), Notre Dame (five) and Texas (two).
Ohio State is the preseason No. 1 team in the Coaches Poll for the first time since 2015 https://t.co/r95gfxpDL1 pic.twitter.com/HA4FWJwome
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) August 4, 2026
While Ohio State opens the season at home against Ball State, the Buckeyes' gauntlet begins with a Week 2 road trip to Austin — a rematch of last season's No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown in Columbus, which Ohio State won 14-7. Ryan Day and Co. will return home to face Kent State and Illinois before traveling to Iowa for the program's first game at Kinnick Stadium since a 55-24 loss in 2017.
A home matchup with Maryland is sandwiched between games against Iowa and Indiana, which will meet the Buckeyes in Bloomington on Oct. 17. The Hoosiers defeated Ohio State 13-10 in last season's Big Ten Championship Game before winning three straight College Football Playoff games to capture the national championship. Ohio State's season ended with a loss to Miami in the CFP quarterfinals at the Cotton Bowl.
Following a bye week on Oct. 24, Ohio State will travel to Los Angeles for a Halloween matchup with USC. The Buckeyes will complete their three-game stretch against preseason top-14 opponents with a home showdown against Oregon on Nov. 7. Ohio State won its most recent meetings with both programs, beating the Trojans 24-7 in the 2017 Cotton Bowl and the Ducks 41-21 in the 2025 Rose Bowl, a game in which the Buckeyes built a 34-0 lead before halftime.
Ohio State will close the regular season with a home game against Northwestern, a road trip to Nebraska and the 122nd edition of The Game against Michigan in Columbus. The Buckeyes snapped their four-game losing streak to the Wolverines with a 27-9 win in Ann Arbor last November.
| Rank | Team | Record | Conference | Points | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 OHIO STATE
|
0-0 | Big Ten | 1741 (38) | – |
| 2 |
 OREGON
|
0-0 | Big Ten | 1637 (6) | – |
| 3 |
 GEORGIA
|
0-0 | SEC | 1591 (7) | – |
| 4 |
 TEXAS
|
0-0 | SEC | 1544 (2) | – |
| 5 |
 NOTRE DAME
|
0-0 | FBS Independents | 1524 (5) | – |
| 6 |
 INDIANA
|
0-0 | Big Ten | 1522 (14) | – |
| 7 |
 MIAMI (FL)
|
0-0 | ACC | 1409 | – |
| 8 |
 TEXAS A&M
|
0-0 | SEC | 1174 | – |
| 9 |
 OKLAHOMA
|
0-0 | SEC | 1104 | – |
| 10 |
 OLE MISS
|
0-0 | SEC | 1096 | – |
| 11 |
 ALABAMA
|
0-0 | SEC | 1050 | – |
| 12 |
 TEXAS TECH
|
0-0 | Big 12 | 1034 | – |
| 13 |
 LSU
|
0-0 | SEC | 951 | – |
| 14 |
 USC
|
0-0 | Big Ten | 838 | – |
| 15 |
 BYU
|
0-0 | Big 12 | 781 | – |
| 16 |
 MICHIGAN
|
0-0 | Big Ten | 719 | – |
| 17 |
 PENN STATE
|
0-0 | Big Ten | 463 | – |
| 18 |
 TENNESSEE
|
0-0 | SEC | 428 | – |
| 19 |
 WASHINGTON
|
0-0 | Big Ten | 406 | – |
| 20 |
 SMU
|
0-0 | ACC | 378 | – |
| 21 |
 UTAH
|
0-0 | Big 12 | 313 | – |
| 22 |
 IOWA
|
0-0 | Big Ten | 291 | – |
| 23 |
 CLEMSON
|
0-0 | ACC | 235 | – |
| 24 |
 HOUSTON
|
0-0 | Big 12 | 194 | – |
| 25 |
 MISSOURI
|
0-0 | SEC | 158 | – |
