Ohio State Buckeyes Top One Preseason AP Poll Prediction

A new preseason AP Poll prediction has the Ohio State Buckeyes at number one. Find out who gave the Buckeyes the top spot and how the rest of the Big Ten ranks.

Sep 2, 2023; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes tight end Gee Scott Jr. (88) and running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) prepare to take the field for the NCAA football game at Indiana University Memorial Stadium. Ohio State won 23-3. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The general expectation headed into the release of the Preseason AP Top 25 Poll on August 12th is that the Ohio State Buckeyes will be at or near the top of the poll. The initial release is expected to come somewhere around noon.

As college football fans wait for the release, the anticipation is continuing to build. For Ohio State supporters, one prediction should be a very welcome sight. On3's Jesse Simonton tried to get ahead of the AP voters and took a shot at guessing what the first Top 25 of the 2024 season will look like. He placed the Buckeyes at No. 1, just one spot ahead of the Georgia Bulldogs.

Predicting the College Football Preseason AP Poll via @JesseReSimonton👀

Do you agree? 🤔https://t.co/ImYFamwJtq pic.twitter.com/GxBFkLSQLi

— On3 (@On3sports) August 5, 2024

"The Buckeyes took home the crown of offseason champions, and while all eyes are on the ultimate prize in January, the first goal is reclaiming the Big Ten title - which means avenging a three-game losing streak to Michigan," wrote Simonton. "Even with some uncertainty around WIll Howard at quarterback, the rest of the roster might have the best combination of talent, depth and experience in the country."

Ohio State might not have a perfect roster, but it appears that most would agree that it is pretty close to that headed into a new season. The Georgia Bulldogs are likely the stiffest competition for the No. 1 spot, but Simonton believes that the AP voters could use non-football factors as a reason to choose Ohio State over the Bulldogs.

"This is a program that hasn't lost a regular-season game in three years, but I think a large swath of AP Voters will penalize Kirby Smart's team for another rash of ugly off-season headlines,"

Perhaps this is true, but would Ohio State going over the Bulldogs in the preseason rankings be some sort of big punishment? These two schools appear pretty close on paper.

Aug 1, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs (2) picks up a fumble during a drill at football camp at the Woody Hayes Athletic Complex. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

As for the rest of the Big Ten Conference, the Oregon Ducks come in at No. 4 in the projected rankings. This is one spot behind the Texas Longhorns and one spot ahead of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Both the Michigan Wolverines and Penn State Nittany Lions also sneak into the top 10 with Michigan at No. 8 and Penn State at No. 9.

After four Big Ten teams make the top 10, only two more even make the predicted Top 25 poll. The USC Trojans get listed at No. 23 and the Iowa Hawkeyes come in at No. 24.

It will be interesting to see how everything actually turns out on the 12th, but it would not be shocking if Simonton is close to being on the right track at the very top of his projected rankings. The Buckeyes and the Ducks have been getting a ton of offseason attention, along with Georgia, Texas and Alabama.