Where does Ohio State football land in USA TODAY Sports AFCA preseason coaches' poll?
Ohio State is No. 4 in the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA coaches’ poll.
It’s the same ranking the Buckeyes held at the end of last season after coming up short against Georgia in a College Football Playoff semifinal.
The Bulldogs, who went on to capture their second consecutive national championship, are the favorite this fall. They were atop the preseason poll released Monday after receiving 61 out of a possible 66 first-place votes.
The top-five was split among teams from the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference with Michigan at No. 2, Alabama at No. 3 and LSU at No. 5.
The Buckeyes were only narrowly ranked behind the Crimson Tide with a difference of four vote points separating them. Alabama also picked up four first-place votes, while OSU had one. None went to Michigan.
High preseason rankings are typical for the Buckeyes, who have been ranked in the top-five of the coaches’ poll in August for eight consecutive years.
But their place at the top has trended in slightly different directions based on the situation at quarterback, especially in recent years.
When Ohio State featured a returning starter behind center as it did in 2022 and 2020 between C.J. Stroud and Justin Fields, it was ranked No. 2.
That is not the case this fall. Stroud left for the NFL in January, resulting in an offseason-long quarterback competition between Kyle McCord and Devin Brown that remains ongoing.
The Buckeyes were also No. 4 in 2021 when they were replacing Fields.
Questions at quarterback trail a few of the highest-ranked teams. Georgia and Alabama also lost their starters from a year ago. Bryce Young, the Heisman Trophy winner in 2021 who started for the Crimson Tide, became the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, one spot ahead of Stroud.
The Associated Press’ preseason top-25 poll is to be released next Monday.
Full preseason poll
1. Georgia (61 first-place votes), 1,643 2. Michigan, 1,510 3. Alabama (4), 1,489 4. Ohio State (1), 1,485 5. LSU, 1,294 6. Southern California, 1,228 7. Penn State, 1,181 8. Florida State, 1,1459. Clemson, 1,078 10. Tennessee, 991 11. Washington, 94112. Texas, 848 13. Notre Dame, 841 14. Utah, 839 15. Oregon, 82016. TCU, 655 17. Kansas State, 440 18. Oregon State, 365 19. Oklahoma, 320 20. North Carolina, 315 21. Wisconsin, 309 22. Mississippi, 303 23. Tulane, 22524. Texas Tech, 200 25. Texas A&M, 196
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at jkaufman@dispatch.com or on Twitter @joeyrkaufman.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football ranked No. 4 in preseason coaches poll
