College Football Powerhouse Predicted to Claim No. 1 Spot in 2026 Preseason Rankings

For most of last season, one team held the No. 1 position in the national college football rankings, and that same program could have the same advantage once the 2026 season gets underway later this year, according to a new projection.

National champions just two seasons ago, Ohio State was the top ranked team in the land for all but one week of the regular season and through Championship Weekend, when they lost their first game of the year to the eventual national title team Indiana.

But it’s the Buckeyes who are once again favored to be the best team in the country once the 2026 preseason poll comes out, according to CBS Sports.

College football’s expected top team

“With Heisman finalist Julian Sayin back at quarterback and potential 2027 No. 1 overall pick Jeremiah Smith returning for his junior season, Ohio State is certainly capable of being the nation’s most intriguing team to voters in August despite heavy defensive personnel losses,” the analysis noted.

But that top ranking may not last long, according to that same prediction.

Ohio State earned the national No. 1 ranking a year ago after beating Texas at home, but this time the Longhorns could return the favor in the repeat engagement this fall.

With the Buckeyes heading back to Austin, and with Arch Manning and a tough Texas pass rush returning, their SEC counterpart to snatch the No. 1 ranking just three weeks into the season, CBS also projected.

Buckeyes still the CFP favorite

Five months out from the start of the college football season, Ryan Day’s program remains the best betting option to go all the way again.

Ohio State leads all teams with +650 odds to win the national championship, according to the latest odds posted to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Texas isn’t far behind, placing third at +700, behind Notre Dame, which is tied with the Buckeyes at +650 to win the College Football Playoff.

Ohio State holds the record

No other college football program has been as successful as the Buckeyes when it comes to ranking those programs in the all-time preseason polls.

Ohio State ranks No. 1 among all schools with 72 appearances in the annual AP top 25 preseason rankings, appearing in 94.7 percent of such polls since their debut in 1950.

The school’s average preseason ranking over those years has been 8.1, and that run includes two different No. 1 initial rankings under current head coach Ryan Day.

But the Buckeyes haven’t opened up at No. 1 in just over a decade, not since the 2015 season, after they won the first-ever College Football Playoff national championship.

(CBS)

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