Ohio State Ranked No. 2 In Sports Illustrated’s Preseason Top 25 Poll

The Buckeyes appear on course for a rematch of last year’s national title game.

Author:
Andrew Lind
Aug 13, 2021 4:45 PM EDT

With the college football season only a few weeks away, Sports Illustrated senior writer Pat Forde revealed his preseason top 25 on Friday.

Much like the coaches poll that was released earlier this week, Forde put defending national champion Alabama at No. 1. He has Ohio State No. 2, though, followed by Georgia, Clemson and Oklahoma to round out the top five.

“The Buckeyes have the best wide receiver tandem in America in Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. What they don’t have is a quarterback who has thrown a collegiate pass,” Forde said. “While that doesn’t mean they’re lacking talent at quarterback, it does mean that Ryan Day likely will want to make it a soft launch for C.J. Stroud or whoever winds up winning the position, (just) don’t expect reclassifying freshman Quinn Ewers to be the guy early on. He will need some acclimation time.

“There is talent at running back, and the offensive line will be very good. Defensively, Ohio State will look to improve in the secondary while breaking in a new set of linebackers. Zach Harrison is the next OSU game wrecker as an edge rusher. Day has a little more assembly work to do with this team than last year’s, but he also has the pieces.”

Teams on Ohio State's schedule ranked in Sports Illustrated’s top 25 include Indiana at No. 14, Oregon at No. 17 and Penn State at No. 19. The Buckeyes could also potentially face No. 8 Wisconsin or No. 16 Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game.

The full poll can be seen below: