Caleb Downs picks his punt return TD against Indiana as the favorite play of his Ohio State career, and the Buckeyes rank No. 1 in On3’s way-too-early 2026 top 25.
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the Buckeyes Rank No. 1 in On3’s Way-Too-Early 2026 Top 25 Poll
THEY ARE NO. 1! On3 college football writers Chris Low,
Brett McMurphy, Pete Nakos, JD PicKell, Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman created a consensus top 25 poll for next season, and the World Famous Ohio State Buckeyes landed at No. 1.
Four schools received first-place votes, and 39 teams received votes overall. Only the top 14 teams appeared on every ballot.
“Ohio State was the top choice of Chris Low, JD PicKell and Andy Staples,” McMurphy wrote. “Georgia received Pete Nakos’ No. 1 ranking, while Ari Wasserman picked Texas and Brett McMurphy chose Notre Dame as their top teams.”
Here’s what Low wrote about the Buckeyes as his top team:
Having the top pass-catch combo in college football is always a good place to start. Julian Sayin returns at quarterback and Jeremiah Smith at receiver. They hooked up for 12 touchdowns in 2025. Running back Bo Jackson, after rushing for 1,090 yards and earning true freshman All-America honors, is also returning, along with the left side of the offensive line and center Carson Hinzman. The Buckeyes lost a ton on defense, so bringing back defensive end Kenyatta Jackson after his breakout 2025 season was a big win for Ryan Day. The Buckeyes are hopeful Alabama transfer Qua Russaw can add some pass-rushing punch.
For the past three years, I’ve made a habit of spending the day after the national championship game collecting way-too-early polls from outlets like ESPN, The Athletic and USA TODAY. I’ll do that again this year, so be on the lookout for it later this morning once all the polls roll in.