College Football Powerhouse Climbs to No. 1 in Post-Spring 2026 Rankings

With spring practice complete, there's an odds-on favorite for the top spot ahead of the 2026 campaign. The team in question saw its 2025 dreams tumble down the season's stretch, but then prepared to return an elite group of skill players that give them a massive advantage over the rest of college football. Defense is a bit more unsettled, but off a year with 11 NFL Draft picks, the top dog for 2026 won't be surprising.

The preseason pick

USA Today released its post-spring practice rankings and Ohio State earned the preseason No. 1 spot. In the rankings, the publication dubbed OSU's offense "virtually unstoppable" and praised both the offensive personnel and new coordinator Arthur Smith. Defense, with just three returning starters, does offer a massive question mark "in maintaining a furious pass rush."

Buckeye Offensive Stars

Obviously, the biggest key for OSU is returning QB Julian Sayin. As a first-year starter with the Buckeyes in 2025, Sayin completed a whopping 77% of his passes for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns against just eight interceptions. Sayin did struggle in OSU's final two games, both losses, with just two touchdowns against three picks. But he also had six 300+ yard games and threw for four touchdowns in three different games.

Sayin will be complemented by outstanding back Bo Jackson. Jackson rushed for 1,090 yards in his true freshman campaign and marked himself as the heir apparent to a streak of top running backs including TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Jackson put up six 100 yard games and averaged 6.1 yards per carry.

But the biggest star in the OSU firmament has to be receiver Jeremiah Smith. In two seasons with the Buckeyes, Smith has 163 catches for 2,558 yards and 27 touchdowns. A likely preseason Heisman favorite, Smith is rewriting the OSU record book and may have been the best played in college football a season ago.

Defensive Questions

Defensively, end Kenyatta Jackson has to put together a massive season for OSU. He had 6.5 sacks a season ago and could be the key to Ohio State keeping pace with the top offenses in the Big Ten. A season ago, the Indiana dynamo overtook the Buckeyes and played spoiler, and getting heat on an opposing quarterback is likely to be key to this season.

Other Top Contenders

USA Today ranked Indiana fifth in its preseason rankings and placed the rest of the top five as Notre Dame and SEC contenders Texas and Georgia. The SEC certainly figures to be hungry off of three consecutive seasons of seeing Big Ten opponents claim the national title. Meanwhile, Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame are seeking to bounce back from just missing the CFP field after 2025.

Ryan Day and the Buckeyes figure to get plenty of preseason hype with its bevy of skilled stars lighting up the 2026 season.

Notre Dame and coach Marcus Freeman could be the biggest competition for Ohio State in 2026. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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