In case you missed the news of the day, the Associated Press preseason college football poll was released on Monday, and Ohio State took the No. 1 spot to pair like a fine wine, to go along with landing as the top-ranked team in the US LBM Preseason Coaches Poll.
And while that's all good and fine, the real news is that by appearing in the AP preseason poll, the Buckeyes extended a pretty outlandish record streak of appearing in the preseason poll for 38 consecutive seasons. That means many of you reading this weren't even alive the last time Ohio State wasn't a part of the AP poll when first released ahead of actual games being played.
In fact, by doing the math, the last time the Buckeyes weren't a part of the AP preseason poll was 1988. That
was the first year under new head coach John Cooper, and it was a struggle. The Buckeyes finished the year with a 4-6-1 overall record (2-5-1 Big Ten).
The streak continues 🔥
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 17, 2026
After landing at No. 1 in the AP Preseason Top 25, @OhioStateFB extends their record of appearing in 38 continuous ranked preseason polls 💪 pic.twitter.com/jL1NVjOrVy
Other teams with notable streaks behind Ohio State are Oklahoma (26 years), Georgia (24 years), and Alabama (18 years). Clemson's streak of 14 straight years came to an end with the Tigers being outside the preseason AP Top 25 this year.
Of course, being included in the poll during the preseason doesn't mean much if the team doesn't perform on the field, but it still speaks to the reputation and staying power of arguably the best college football program of all time.
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State extends record streak of appearing in preseason AP CFB Poll
