Ohio State Buckeyes High on ESPN Preseason Football SP+ Rankings

Three of the four College Football Playoff finalists from last year are in the top 3 of ESPN's SP+ rankings.

With college football news slowing down until the spring, it's time for speculation about the upcoming season and preseason rankings from just about anyone and everyone.

The last time we saw any action, Georgia was forcing itself all over TCU on its way to an easy No. 1 ranking. Has anything changed since then?

Three of the four College Football Playoff finalists from last year are in the top 3 of ESPN's SP+ rankings.

The one missing? TCU falls all the way to No. 19. The Ohio State Buckeyes find themselves just behind the reigning champs, Georgia, at No. 2. Michigan and Alabama round out the top 4 respectively.

The SP+ is a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency and are based on three primary factors:

1. Returning production: based on the rosters ESPN has updated as much as possible, accounting for transfers and graduation, etc.

2. Recent recruiting: what is the caliber of the team's potential replacements in the lineup. This is determined by the last few years for recruiting rankings.

3. Recent history: information from the previous two to four seasons to gather a measure of overall program health.

The rankings will be updated again in May and August after further transfers and roster changes. 

The Buckeyes' overall rating is No. 2 in the country, at 30.0, with the offense ranking No. 1 overall at 46.3, and the defense No. 10 at 16.3.

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