Ohio State is No. 1 in the preseason Coaches Poll

COLUMBUS — Ohio State may have lost eight defensive starters and a top-five NFL Draft pick at wide receiver to the next level. But the Buckeyes are reloaded for yet another shot at a national championship.

And the preseason USA TODAY Coaches Poll proves that coaches from around college football expect the Buckeyes to be among the best teams in the country yet again this fall.

Yes, the Coaches Poll is officially out this preseason, ahead of the AP Poll. And the coaches have Ohio State in the No. 1 slot entering the season. The Buckeyes received 38 first-place votes.

Others receiving top votes were Oregon, Georgia, Texas and Indiana and Notre Dame.

Other Big Ten teams in the rankings are Iowa, Indiana, USC, Michigan and Penn State. Ohio State will face almost every other Big Ten team ranked in the preseason Coaches Poll this season, beginning with the road trip to No. 22 Iowa on Oct. 3. They’ll also face No. 6 Indiana and No. 2 Oregon. Oh, and that road trip to No. 4 Texas will be one of the games of the year.

The full preseason Coaches Poll can be found below.

2026 Preseason Coaches Poll

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

Ohio State picked to finish first in Big Ten

The Big Ten preseason poll from the folks at Cleveland.com — typically the Big Ten preseason poll of record — has been revealed, and the Buckeyes are predicted to finish first in the league. Ryan Day’s program received more first-place votes than any other, and they’re officially the favorite in the best conference in the sport.

Ohio State received 15 first-place votes out of a possible 31 votes. Oregon received 11, while defending Big Ten and national champion Indiana received five first-place votes.

NOTE: Lettermen Row did have a vote in the Big Ten preseason media poll. Spencer Holbrook’s ballot will be revealed on Monday.

Ohio State is facing one of the toughest schedules in program history, and that’s clear from the Big Ten preseason media poll. The Buckeyes will face the other four top-five teams in the league as well as No. 8 Iowa and No. 9 Illinois.