2026 Polls

[ScriptOhio]

https://collegefootballnews.com/college-football/college-football-spring-rankings-2026-top-25

College Football Spring Rankings 2026: CFN Top 25​

CFN reveals its 2026 College Football Spring Top 25, including the expectations, transfer impact, and bold predictions heading into the season.

1 Ohio State​

Ohio State was the No. 1 team at the end of the regular season, and yet 2025 didn’t represent the program’s best work. No one can touch the Buckeye superstars on offense, and the defense just brought in an NFL Combine's worth of transfers to take over.

Last year, Ohio State was almost forgotten about over the second half of the season with its relatively easy slate. This year? At Texas, Illinois, at Iowa, at Indiana, at USC, Oregon, at Nebraska, Michigan. (The 2026 season can’t get here fast enough.)

2025 Record: 12-2
CFN 2025 Preseason Rank: 4
CFN 2025 Final Rank: 4
Top Transfer In: James Smith, DT Alabama
Top Transfer Out: Quincy Porter, WR to Notre Dame
2026 Realistic Expectation: Win the national championship (and beat Michigan)
- 2026 Ohio State Schedule Analysis

https://collegefootballnews.com/college-football/ohio-state-football-2026-schedule-breakdown

2 Oregon
3 Indiana
4 Notre Dame
5 Georgia
6 LSU
7 Miami
8 Oklahoma
9 Texas
10 Texas Tech
11 Alabama
12 USC
13 Ole Miss
14 Texas A&M
15 BYU
16 Michigan
17 Washington
18 Arizona
19 Penn State
20 Iowa
21 South Carolina
22 Utah
23 Missouri
24 Kansas State
25 UCLA

 

[calibuck]

Use the sad emoje as would prefer tOSU be ranked about 8 or 9, and let them surge toward the end. At #1, there's only one place to go.....so now we're on an 0-2 record.

 

[ScriptOhio]

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.

“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.

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