Skull Session: Ohio State Still Ranks No. 1 in ESPN’s Preseason Top 25; the Buckeyes Lead the Big Ten in SP+ with Nation’s No. 2 Offense and No. 1 Defense Entering 2026

By Chase Brown on June 18, 2026 at 4:55 am
Julian Sayin
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

Another BOOM!

Keep 'em comin'!

Have a good Thursday.

 THEY ARE (STILL) NO. 1! Ohio State remains No. 1 in ESPN’s latest preseason top 25.

The Worldwide Leader updated its poll following news that Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby has declared for the NFL supplemental draft.

“While the next step of his NFL journey is still to be determined, there’s no doubt it will have a huge impact on college football in 2026,” Mark Schlabach wrote. Even so, the development had little to no impact on Ohio State’s standing as the top team in the sport entering the fall.

ESPN'S PRESEASON TOP 25
RANK TEAM CONFERENCE
1 Ohio State Big Ten
2 Oregon Big Ten
3 Georgia SEC
4 Notre Dame Independent
5 Texas SEC
6 Indiana Big Ten
7 Miami ACC
8 Ole Miss SEC
9 Texas A&M SEC
10 LSU SEC

“With quarterback Julian Sayin, tailback Bo Jackson and all-world receiver Jeremiah Smith returning, the Buckeyes should be back in the national championship hunt,” Schlabach wrote. “Ohio State’s offense is going to be difficult to stop, especially if its offensive line improves. Coach Ryan Day hired former NFL head coach/offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to replace offensive coordinator Brian Hartline. That recipe worked on defense, as former NFL defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has turned Ohio State’s unit into one of the sport’s best. Ohio State will have to navigate one of the most demanding schedules in the FBS, including games at Texas, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and USC.”

The Buckeyes rank No. 1 ahead of Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas in the top five. Indiana, Miami, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and LSU round out the top 10.

Ohio State’s 2026 schedule features six ranked opponents, beginning with matchups against Oregon, Texas and Indiana. The Buckeyes will also face Michigan, ranked No. 14 in Schlabach’s poll, as well as Iowa and USC, which check in at Nos. 19 and 20.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly’s SP+ (more on this in the next section) ranks Ohio State’s strength of schedule No. 4 in the nation. The Buckeyes will have plenty of opportunity to prove it. I’d expect this slate to better prepare them for the postseason than last year’s schedule, which lacked the same level of punch as the 2026 slate.

 THE COMPUTERS! Oh, The Computers! I’ve missed The Computers!

This week, ESPN’s Bill Connelly released a Big Ten preview featuring his trademark SP+ projections for all 18 conference programs. Ohio State leads the way at No. 1, followed by Oregon, Indiana, USC, and Michigan. Penn State, Washington, Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska round out the top 10.

Connelly’s model assigns Ohio State a 31.8 SP+ rating — 3.6 points clear of second-ranked Oregon (28.2). The Buckeyes also boast the No. 2 offense (40.5), No. 1 defense (8.8) and No. 67 special teams unit (0.1). In SP+ simulations, Ohio State’s average win total is 10.2, tied with Oregon for the highest mark in the Big Ten. Indiana follows at 9.9, with USC (7.8) and Michigan (7.5) rounding out the top tier.

Another Connelly projection, via the College Football Power Index framework, puts Ohio State at 7.5 average conference wins — best in the league — and gives the Buckeyes a 41.4% chance of finishing with 11 or more wins in 2026. They also have a 100% chance to win six or more games, which, if you’ve followed this program for the past 50 years, shouldn’t be a surprise.

Because of those numbers, Connelly views Ohio State as the No. 1 conference title (and, therefore, CFP) contender this season. His full breakdown of the Buckeyes is below:

Through 12 games last season, Ohio State was basically untouchable: Day's Buckeyes survived a cautious slog between first-year starting QBs (Julian Sayin vs. Arch Manning) in a 14-7 win over Texas, then plowed through everyone in their path, winning the next 11 games by an average of 39-8. There were some training wheels in place for Sayin — the Buckeyes played at the slowest tempo in the country, and Sayin's average pass distance was low -- but they finished the season ranked first in success rate. They were ruthlessly efficient. Everything was going according to plan.

But when it was time to shift into gear late in the season, they couldn't do it. Ohio State scored 24 total points against Indiana (in the Big Ten championship game) and Miami (in the CFP quarterfinals) as a conservative plan backfired in both games. Day elected to settle for a tying field goal try late (which was missed) on fourth-and-1 from the Indiana 9 instead of going for the lead. And against Miami, the Buckeyes trailed 14-0 at halftime and mounted a second-half comeback, but they continued to keep the tempo so low that they got only three real second-half possessions. They had a seven-play, four-minute punting drive in the fourth quarter. Totally unacceptable.

Now it's time for the training wheels to come off. Sayin has experience, as does sophomore running back Bo Jackson, one of the nation's better backs (and a huge yards-after-contact presence) by the end of the season. Sayin has a vastly experienced line in front of him — three starters return, including two All-Big Ten performers (guard Luke Montgomery and tackle Austin Siereveld) — and he, of course, still has Jeremiah Smith. The junior receiver will enjoy his last dance in Columbus after having produced 2,558 receiving yards and 29 total touchdowns in two seasons.

Smith will need some new dance partners, as Jackson and senior Brandon Inniss are the only other returnees targeted more than five times last year. But between transfer receivers Devin McCuin (UTSA) and Kyle Parker (LSU), transfer tight ends Hunter Welcing (Northwestern) and Mason Williams (Ohio) and five-star freshman Chris Henry Jr., someone excellent probably will emerge.

*inhale*

*exhale*

*inhale*

*exhale*

After the pro-to-college success of defensive coordinator Matt Patricia last season, Day dipped into that well again, hiring Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator. Smith was an NFL offensive coordinator or head coach for seven seasons, but he really only succeeded at Tennessee, where he had Derrick Henry to lean on, and he has plenty of safe, quick horizontal passing in his history. The run game will be almost unquestionably excellent, and the offense will still carve through most opponents. We'll see what happens in the big games.

The offense also might need to carry more weight this season because of defensive regression. Patricia's first defense was nearly perfect — the Buckeyes ranked first in defensive SP+ for the second straight year — but of the nine defenders who started all 14 games (few teams boasted that level of continuity and injury luck), only two return: safety Jaylen McClain and corner Jermaine Mathews Jr. Three Buckeyes defenders went in the first 11 picks of the NFL draft, and another two went in the second round.

Recruiting obviously hasn't dropped off in Columbus, and new young stars will emerge, probably from a pool of sophomores, including end Zion Grady, linebacker Riley Pettijohn, corner Devin Sanchez and safety Leroy Roker III. But this could be a major transition year, as evidenced by the fact that Day signed eight defensive transfers. Two Alabama transfers -- end Qua Russaw and tackle James Smith — could start, as might edge rusher Christian Alliegro (Wisconsin) and safeties Earl Little Jr. (Florida State) and Terry Moore (Duke).

The schedule is also much rougher. Manning and Texas get a rematch in Austin in Week 2, and the Buckeyes also face trips to Indiana, USC and Iowa, and welcome Oregon in early November. They're the No. 1 team in the country, per SP+, so they're projected favorites in all of these games, but unlike last season, cruise control won't be as much of an option. The schedule and the defensive turnover might force them to play with more urgency this season, and honestly, that could benefit them significantly come December and January.

Hey, that's what I said!

 BACK IN THE GAME. Dennis Hopson is returning to college coaching.

This week, NAIA Florida Poly named Hopson the inaugural head coach of its new men’s basketball program. The Ohio State legend joins the Phoenix after a two-year hiatus from the college ranks. He previously served as head coach at Lourdes (NAIA) in Sylvania, Ohio, from 2019-24. His coaching résumé also includes a stint at Bedford High School (2014-15) and assistant roles at Bowling Green (2009-14) and Division II Northwood (2007-09).

In a press release Tuesday, Florida Poly athletic director Derek Lower called Hopson “the best person to lead us in our inaugural basketball season.” Hopson said he is honored to lead young men who will find success both on the court and in the classroom.

“I think my background means a whole lot to this process, and I will use it to get players to come here,” Hopson said. “I used to be them, and I know the importance of going to a school that’s in a great situation with a great location and sound academics that also has a strong basketball program.”

He added: “Schoolwork and other things can be stressful, so we want to make this where it’s not about the sport; it’s about what the sport can do for you. … We’re going to learn a lot of life lessons through the game of basketball because you’re going to live a lot longer than you play the game.”

While Hopson’s coaching résumé is extensive, his playing career is even more decorated. The 1987 Big Ten Player of the Year held Ohio State’s all-time scoring record for 39 years until Bruce Thornton broke it in the 2025-26 season. He went on to play more than a decade of professional basketball, including winning an NBA championship with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in 1991.

Given his knowledge of the game and wealth of experience, Hopson looks well-positioned to build something meaningful at Florida Poly. It’s a strong fit on paper, and one that should serve both him and the program well as it gets off the ground.

 THERE IS ANOTHER… Ohio State has received a Crystal Ball from Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong to land Marvin Harrison Jr.’s younger brother, Jett.

Jett Harrison is the No. 2 wide receiver and No. 4 overall prospect in the 2028 class, according to the 247Sports composite, but he was also ranked No. 1 overall in the first and second releases of the Rivals300 for his graduating year.

Harrison scored 10 touchdowns in his first season at St. Joseph’s Prep in 2024, earning MaxPreps Freshman All-American honors while helping lead his team to a PIAA 6A championship. He then caught 50 passes for 849 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2025.

In an interview with Wiltfong in March, Baltimore St. Frances head coach Messay Hailemariam said Harrison is one of the best players he’s seen play at the high school level.

“He’s (effing) unbelievable,” Hailemariam said. “(Five-star Alabama signee) Jireh Edwards said he played against some of the best and that Jett Harrison is going to be one of the best players to touch a high school football field.”

Hailemariam added: “He is completely the real deal. He runs routes really well. He will block. He will do what it takes to be in position. He’ll be a great decoy. Our secondary was like that this past year, and he literally made incredible catches in key situations. We know that ball was going to him, and he still overcame it, and we had a kid going to Auburn, Bama, a kid going to Ohio State (Khmari Bing) and a kid currently committed to Texas A&M.”

I need Harrison to be a Buckeye. Marv was marvelous, and Jett will be jaw-dropping. I know it.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "I'm On Fire" - Bruce Springsteen.

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