Ohio State opens the 2026 season where plenty of people outside Columbus think it belongs: No. 1.
The preseason AP Poll dropped Monday, and the Buckeyes claimed the top spot after an undefeated regular season that sent them back to the Big Ten Championship Game and the College Football Playoff. Their new season begins Saturday, Sept. 5, when Ball State comes to Ohio Stadium, before a much bigger test arrives in Week 2 with a trip to Texas. That meeting will be the third straight year Ohio State and the Longhorns have faced off in a marquee showdown.
The ranking also keeps a notable run intact for the Scarlet and Gray. This is the 10th straight preseason in which Ohio State has landed in the AP top five, and the fifth consecutive year it has opened inside the top three. The last time the Buckeyes were preseason No. 1 was 2015.
Behind Ohio State in the top five are Oregon at No. 2, Georgia at No.
3, Notre Dame at No. 4 and Texas at No. 5.
The full top 25 also includes Indiana at No. 6, Miami (FL) at No.
7, Texas A&M at No. 8, Ole Miss at No. 9 and Oklahoma at No.
- Rounding out the poll are LSU, Texas Tech, Alabama, BYU and USC tied at No.
14, Michigan at No. 16, Washington at No.
17, Penn State at No. 18, SMU at No.
19, Tennessee at No. 20, Utah at No.
21, Iowa at No. 22, Houston at No.
23, Louisville at No. 24 and Missouri at No. 25.
Ohio State’s roster, though, looks very different from the one that finished at AT&T Stadium on New Year’s Eve. The Buckeyes lost 12 starters and brought in 51 new players this offseason through transfers, freshmen and walk-ons.
That turnover leaves a lot of new names in the mix, including James Smith, Christian Alliegro, Earl Little Jr., Devin McCuin, Hunter Welcing, Chris Henry Jr., Brock Boyd and Jay Timmons, all of whom could be asked to contribute this fall.
Even with all that change, the Buckeyes still have plenty of familiar pieces to lean on. Ohio State will need Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, Brandon Inniss, Bo Jackson and an experienced offensive line to move forward on offense. On the other side, the defense is expected to be built around Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Jeremaine Mathews Jr. and Jaylen McClain, with that unit projected to be the top-ranked group in the country once again.
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Ryan Day, meanwhile, has shown again how seriously Ohio State treats the rivalry by making scheduling choices meant to keep the focus squarely on the game when November rolls around. It is a reminder that the two sides are approaching the same tradition from very different angles, and Buckeyes fans will be watching closely to see whether Michigans new tone is just a messaging shift or the start of something bigger in how the rivalry is handled. [Read more 🡒]
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The name now in the mix is familiar to those who followed the programs recent roster movement, though nothing has been finalized. A recent court injunction opened the door for another year of eligibility for players from the class of 2022, and that development has put a possible return back on the table for a big man Ohio State knows well as it weighs what to do with its last opening. [Read more 🡒]
Former Buckeye Max Klare Just Revived An Ohio State What-If
Max Klares first preseason showing with the Rams offered a reminder of why tight ends who can separate and stay involved in the passing game always draw extra attention around Columbus. A former Buckeye who was not heavily used as a pass-catcher in Ohio States offense, Klare made a much bigger imprint in his NFL debut than he ever did in scarlet and gray, which is enough to reopen an old conversation about how his college career might have looked with a different role.
For Ohio State fans, the intrigue is less about one August game than the broader trend of former Buckeyes getting off to strong starts in the NFL preseason. Klare is now part of that group, and his early usage naturally invites a second look at the mismatch between his skill set and the way he was deployed in college. The question hanging over his next step is whether this was just a crisp debut or the first sign of a bigger opportunity ahead. [Read more 🡒]