Ohio State Ranked No. 2 in AP Preseason Poll

Even though the Ohio State Buckeyes aren't playing football this fall, they've still been recognized as the No. 2 ranked team in the country.

Despite the Big Ten, Pac-12, Mid-American and Mountain West Conferences all choosing to postpone their respective football seasons, the Associated Press put out their annual preseason poll on Monday and chose to consider all teams in FBS football - even those whose seasons aren't going to happen. After the preseason poll, the AP will only rank teams that are on the gridiron this fall.

“The preseason poll has always been a speculative ranking of teams based on last year’s results and knowledge about the new makeup of teams,” said Michael Giarrusso, AP’s global sports editor. “This year, we think it is crucial to give all the teams and all their fans a snapshot look at what the Top 25 would have been to open the season.”

This is obviously an unprecedented time, and a disappointing one for Buckeye fans at that. Some fans might feel that the respect from the AP is warranted, while others might have preferred avoiding another stark reminder of "what could have been" in 2020.

Clemson was the No. 1 ranked team in the poll (1,520 points). The Buckeyes (1,504 points), Alabama (1,422), Georgia (1,270) and Oklahoma (1,269) rounded out the top five spots in the poll.

While the Buckeyes won't appear in any further polls this fall, the AP Poll is open to ranking teams for a spring season if that comes to fruition.

“The AP and our voters have no idea what a spring football season will look like. But we are open to adapting and finding a way for our Top 25 voters to be involved in ranking teams if real games are played in the spring of 2021,” Giarrusso said.

Here is a breakdown of which conferences were most-represented in the poll.

SEC — 7 (Nos. 3, 4, 6, 8, 11, 13, 25).

Big Ten — 6 (Nos. 2, 7, 12, 16, 19, 24).

Big 12 — 4 (Nos. 5, 14, 15, 23).

ACC — 3 (Nos. 1, 10, 18).

Pac-12 — 3 (Nos. 9, 17, 22).

American — 2 (Nos. 20, 21).

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