Ohio State Football Receives Huge Preseason Ranking in Prestigious Poll

Ohio State is just days away from representing itself in front of select media members as part of a three-day, 18-team Big Ten Media Day in Chicago, Ill., at the Hilton Chicago.

Head coach Ryan Day, quarterback Julian Sayin, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Jaylen McClain will be on hand to preview the upcoming season as the Buckeyes try to contend for another national title and reign supreme as one of college football’s elite programs.

Ahead of the teams making their way through Tuesday, which will feature the Illinois Fighting Illini, Iowa Hawkeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Wisconsin Badgers, Rutgers Scarlet Knights and USC Trojans before the Buckeyes arrive to address reporters Wednesday, the Cleveland.com preseason media poll was unveiled Monday,.

Where Did Ohio State Rank In Preseason Polls?

Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin — Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) runs during the first half of the NCAA football game against the Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Despite failing to repeat as national champions last season, the Buckeyes represent the conference as the way-too-early favorite.

As submitted by voters who cover college football or any of the 18 schools across the country, the Buckeyes beat out the defending champion Hoosiers (No. 3), who enter this fall riding a 16-game winning streak (including the postseason) under coach Curt Cignetti. Ohio State also beat out the Oregon Ducks and coach Dan Lanning, too, as they finished No. 2 in the conference poll despite losing to the Hoosiers in the College Football Playoff.

NEW: Big Ten Preseason Media Poll via @clevelanddotcom👀

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Ohio State will play nine of the teams that make up the conference this fall since the new scheduling structure was implemented under the 18-team format a few years ago, including No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 (USC), No. 5 (Michigan Wolverines), No. 8 (Iowa), No. 9 (Illinois), No. 11 (Nebraska Conhuskers), No. 14 (Northwestern Wildcats) and No. 15 (Maryland Terrapins).

Conference play begins in late September, as the Buckeyes host the Illini for the first time in nearly a decade. It’ll be the second consecutive year both teams will play each other, as the Buckeyes won the game at Gies Memorial Stadium last October in a 34-16 rivalry triumph. It was the most points the defense allowed during the regular season.

Without further ado, here is how the voters saw the conference shaping up. Included are when and where the Buckeyes will play their respective Big Ten opponents this season.

Which Big Ten Teams Does Ohio State Draw This Season?

Ryan Day after a spring game — Ryan Day said he will shave his beard before Ohio State's opener Thursday at Minnesota. Ohio State Football Spring Game | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ohio State – Finished second in the Big Ten last season, made the CFP. (Overall: 12-2, 9-0 Big Ten)
Oregon Ducks – Finished third in the Big Ten last season, made the CFP. (Overall: 13-2, 8-1 Big Ten)

• Does Ohio State play them? Yes. Saturday, Nov. 7 in Columbus.

3. Indiana Hoosiers – Won Big Ten and CFP last season. (Overall: 16-0, 9-0 Big Ten)

• Does Ohio State play them? Yes. Saturday, Oct. 17 in Bloomington.

4. USC Trojans – Finished fifth in the Big Ten last season and were bowl-eligible. (Overall: 9-4, 7-2 Big Ten)

• Does Ohio State play them? Yes. Saturday, Oct. 31 (Halloween) in Hollywood.

5. Michigan Wolverines – Finished fourth in the Big Ten last season, were bowl-eligible and hired Kyle Whittingham as Sherrone Moore’s replacement. (Overall: 9-4, 7-2 Big Ten)

• Does Ohio State play them? Yes. Saturday, Nov. 28 in Columbus.

6. Penn State Nittany Lions – Finished 12th in the Big Ten last season after immense CFP preseason expectations, were bowl eligible by season’s end and hired Matt Campbell from Iowa State to replace James Franklin, who was dismissed midseason (Overall: 7-6, 3-6 Big Ten)

• Does Ohio State play them? No, not this season.

7. Washington Huskies – Finished ninth in the Big Ten last season and became bowl eligible with a late-season push. (Overall: 9-4, 5-4 Big Ten)

• Does Ohio State play them? No, not this season.

8. Iowa Hawkeyes – Finished sixth in the Big Ten a year ago and have remained stable under one of college football’s longest-tenured coaches, Kirk Ferentz. (Overall: 9-4, 6-3 Big Ten)

• Does Ohio State play them? Yes. Saturday, Oct. 3 in Iowa City.

9. Illinois Fighting Illini – Finished seventh in the Big Ten last season after climbing The Associated Press voter rankings all the way up to No. 9 in early September. Illinois was victorious in back-to-back bowl games under long-time Big Ten veteran coach Bret Bielema, finishing 19-7 across the last two seasons with its losses coming to the likes of the Hoosiers (2025), Minnesota Golden Gophers (2024), Buckeyes (2025), Washington Huskies (2025), Wisconsin Badgers (2025), Ducks (2024) and Nittany Lions (2024) while finishing 2-0 against the SEC (South Carolina Gamecocks in the 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl & Tennessee Volunteers in the 2025 Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl, with an overall record last season of 9-4 (5-4 Big Ten).

• Does Ohio State play them? Yes. Saturday, Sept. 26 in Columbus.

10. Minnesota Golden Gophers – Finished eighth in the Big Ten last season under the continued direction of coach P.J. Fleck. Minnesota won two of its last three games to end the season, including its bowl win over New Mexico.

11. Nebraska Cornhuskers – Finished 10th in the Big Ten last season, led by coach Matt Rhule. The Cornhuskers struggled to close out games while dealing with a slew of injuries. Nebraska rebounded late by securing a bowl bid, but it wasn’t enough to fend off Utah. (Overall: 7-6, 4-5 Big Ten).

• Does Ohio State play them? Yes. Saturday, Nov. 21 in Lincoln.

12. Wisconsin Badgers – Wisconsin is still in an identity crisis under coach Luke Fickell, who is being given likely his last shot to fix things in Madison. The Badgers hit a mini spark as the weather turned colder last year, beating the Fighting Illini and Huskies at home. However, it wasn’t a substantial sprint toward bowl eligibility, as they finished two wins short by Thanksgiving and 15th in the league overall (Overall: 4-8, 2-7 Big Ten).

13. UCLA Bruins – UCLA started over by hiring Bob Chesney as its new coach following an uneventful era under DeShaun Foster. Not even quarterback Nico Iamaleava could turn the Bruins into a Big Ten contender immediately, as they finished shy of a bowl bid and 13th in conference. (Overall: 3-9, 3-6 Big Ten).

• Does Ohio State play them? No, not this season.

14. Northwestern Wildcats – Finished 11th in the Big Ten last season but remained competitive against some of the league’s best in one-score losses (Michigan, Illinois) as the Wildcats’ new stadium was under construction ahead of hosting capabilities this October. Northwestern won its Game Above Sports Bowl game last December vs. Central Michigan for the second time under David Braun since succeeding former Wildcats linebacker-turned-coach Pat Fitzgerald as the interim coach in the summer of 2023 before Braun had his interim tag removed later in the regular season, but prior to Northwestern’s eventual 2023 SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl win vs. Utah. (Overall: 7-6, 4-5 Big Ten).

• Does Ohio State play them? Yes, Saturday, Nov. 14 in Columbus.

15. Maryland Terrapins – A fast 4-0 start was only the beginning of the end for a Terrapins team under immense pressure as they enter a potential make-or-break year for Mike Locksley. Whether Malik Washington can get it done at quarterback is an entirely different story, however, as Maryland finished as one of the league’s bottom three teams last season. (Overall: 4-8, 1-8 Big Ten)

• Does Ohio State play them? Yes, Saturday, Oct. 10 in Columbus.

16. Michigan State Spartans – A perennial powerhouse in the early 2010s under Mark Dantonio has not given way to on-field success in the present era. Gone are the forgettable years of Mel Tucker and Jonathan Smith to make room for the Fitzgerald era. Doing more with less is what he is known for. But whether it translates to wins in Fitzgerald’s first season in East Lansing remains to be seen, as Smith’s final team was second-to-last in the league. (Overall: 4-8, 1-8 Big Ten).

• Does Ohio State play them? No. Not this season.

17. Rutgers Scarlet Knights – Rutgers underachieved by falling short of a bowl bid but maintains key returners on both sides while also retaining coach Greg Schiano. It finished in 14th place last season. (Overall: 5-7, 2-7 Big Ten).

18. Purdue Boilermakers – Finished in last place last season under first-year former UNLV Runnin’ Rebels coach Barry Odom, who enters his second season in West Lafayette with his sights set on continuing to rebuild the program from scratch. (Overall: 2-10, 0-9 Big Ten).

• Does Ohio State play them? No, not this season.

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