Ohio State Ranked No. 4 In Associated Press Preseason Top 25 Poll

The Buckeyes notably received one of 63 first-place votes.

Author:
Andrew Lind
Aug 16, 2021 12:23 PM EDT

Just like the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll released last week, Ohio State was ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press preseason top 25 poll that was unveiled on Monday.

This marks the 33rd straight year the Buckeyes have appeared n the preseason top 25, the longest active streak in the nation and second-longest streak in AP poll history. It only trails Penn State, which appeared in the preseason poll every year from 1968-2002.

Ohio State trails defending national champion Alabama, which claimed 47 of the 63 first-place votes, in this year's poll, as well as Oklahoma and Clemson. Those two teams were flipped in the coaches poll, while Georgia rounds out the top five.

The Buckeyes are one of five Big Ten teams in the AP top 25, joining Wisconsin at No. 12, Indiana at No. 17, Iowa at No. 18 and Penn State at No. 19. Michigan was absent from this poll, as well, with the Wolverines receiving just 12 total votes.

The only other team on the Buckeyes' schedule ranked at this time is Oregon at No. 11. The Ducks come to Columbus on Sept. 11.

The full Associated Press preseason poll is as follows, with first-place votes in parenthesis: