Ohio State football earns No.1 ranking in preseason AP Poll

Ohio State football is ranked No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press Poll for the first time since 2015. The Buckeyes will enter the season as the top-ranked team in both major college football polls, as they also earned the No. 1 spot in the US LBM Coaches Poll, which was released on Aug. 4. Acros

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What is the story about?

Ohio State football is ranked No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press Poll for the first time since 2015.

The Buckeyes will enter the season as the top-ranked team in both major college football polls, as they also earned the No. 1 spot in the US LBM Coaches Poll, which was released on Aug. 4.

Across the previous nine AP preseason polls, Ohio State cracked the top five and received at least one first-place vote in seven of those rankings, but always fell short of the No. 1 spot.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates a touchdown with quarterback Julian Sayin (10) during the NCAA football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Nov. 1, 2025.

Ohio State ranked No. 3 in the 2025 preseason poll, with Texas and Penn State earning the top two spots. The Buckeyes went on to defeat both Texas and Penn State in the regular season.

bmackay@dispatch.com

@brimackay15

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch:

Ohio State football earns No.1 ranking in preseason AP Poll