Kirk Herbstreit Addresses Ohio State's No. 1 Ranking in College Football Preseason Coaches Poll

With every moment that passes, the 2026 college football season gets a little closer.

As kickoff around the country nears, this is usually a time for optimism, with preseason awards and rankings generating all the hype.

On Tuesday, the annual preseason US LBM Coaches Poll was unveiled, providing an early look at the top-25 teams in the FBS.

Despite Indiana and Miami matching up in the national championship last season, it was the Ohio State Buckeyes who took the No. 1 spot. The Buckeyes raked in 38 of the 72 first-place votes.

That's a major billing with the program going through a significant transition. Ohio State is replacing 11 NFL Draft picks, including first-rounders Carnell Tate, Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, and Caleb Downs.

College GameDay analyst and commentator, Kirk Herbstreit, weighed in on the Buckeyes shortly after the rankings dropped.

Kirk Herbstreit Fine With Ohio State's Ranking But Questions Linger

During an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Herbstreit, a former Ohio State quarterback himself, spent time discussing the program with Buckeyes legend A.J. Hawk.

There's no doubt that the potential on offense is exhilerating.

Ohio State brings back Heisman finalist Julian Sayin and projected top-10 pick Jeremiah Smith, along with other explosive pieces.

It's the defense where the Buckeyes might have some growing pains.

"Ohio State's interesting to me. I think it's obvious with Julian Sayin, the offensive firepower that they have coming back, Jeremiah Smith, they're just loaded up," Herbstreit said. "But, as you know ,AJ better than anybody, they lost not only great players, but over the last two years, you go back to the Michigan putting the flag down in Ohio Stadium, Ohio State goes on a four-year run, wins the national championship, last year has another great year."

"Think of the defensive players with Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles, even going back to the previous year," Herbstreit added. "The last two years, I would say, even though Jeremiah Smith and Sayin, we get excited about offense, but their defense and the leadership and the intangibles they brought to the table, it's like a new wave of players that are now going to be coming in."

With so many new faces and inexperienced players taking on larger roles, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has his work cut out for him going into year two.

The Buckeyes do have talented transfers to lean on, such as safety Earl Little Jr., safety Terry Moore, defensive lineman James Smith, and linebacker Christian Alliegro.

"Not to say they're not going to do a great job, they recruit so well. When it comes to communication, hand gestures, just little things that can happen with veterans," Herbstreit said. "They're going to have to be a little bit of a work in progress."

Herbstreit expects a 180 from Ohio State as the program prepares for the 2026 season. Last year, the Buckeyes relied on the defense to steady the ship while Sayin figured things out as a first-year starter.

This time around, the keys are in Sayin's hands. The Buckeyes need to carry the load on offense until their defense comes along.

In Herbstreit's opinion, the ranking makes sense as long as Patricia gets his unit playing up to its standard.

"I think it makes a lot of sense, but from a entire season, last year they relied on their defense early, even in that Texas game," Herbstreit said. "Let Julian Sayin come along slowly until he got enough reps. I think it's the opposite this year for Ohio State."

"I think they're going to rely on Julian Sayin and the firepower of the offense and kind of ease that defense along before Patricia can start to really call what he wants to call by maybe the middle of the year when those guys get more reps," Herbstreit continued. "Uberly talented, but you lose a ton of leadership. I'm just excited to kind of see how they respond early in the year, especially with that big test down in Austin."

Ohio State will face six teams in the preseason top-25, tied for No. 2 in the country. The Buckeyes are set to travel to Texas, USC, Iowa, and Indiana, while hosting Michigan and Oregon.

Head coach Ryan Day is searching for his second national title in three years when his program opens the campaign against Ball State on September 5.

Kirk Herbstreit Fine With Ohio State's Ranking But Questions Linger

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