Ohio State football falls in unexpected spot in ESPN’s way-too-early college football top 25 rankings
Way-too-early rankings have been dropping the last few days and Buckeye Nation won’t agree with this one.
The 2025 college football season is over and the Ohio State Buckeyes now have their eyes set on the 2026 season.
Ohio State fell short of its goals of winning a Big Ten Championship and repeating as national champions. The buzzsaw that is the Indiana Hoosiers went 16-0, and capped it off with a win over Miami in the championship game — the same Hurricanes team that eliminated Ohio State.
Looking forward to 2026, expectations will be as high as ever in Columbus for the Buckeyes.
ESPN’s way-too-early college football rankings don’t favor Ohio State
ESPN released a way-too-early top-25 for the 2026 college football season and the Buckeyes aren’t even in the top 5. Ohio State is ranked No. 6 behind the Indiana Hoosiers, Texas Longhorns, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Georgia Bulldogs, and Oregon Ducks.
“On paper, with quarterback Julian Sayin, tailback Bo Jackson and all-world receiver Jeremiah Smith returning, one would think the Buckeyes would be just as good in 2026,” Mark Schlabach wrote. “But along with having to replace key players on defense, Ohio State will face one of the most demanding schedules in the FBS next season. The Buckeyes will play road games at Texas, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and USC and home contests against Illinois, Michigan, and Oregon. It doesn’t get much tougher than that.”
Not only do the Buckeyes return the players that ESPN mentioned, but they return their entire offensive line outside of RG Tegra Tshabola, who wasn’t starting in 2026 anyhow. Ohio State added more speed at the wide receiver to complement Smith and incoming freshman Chris Henry Jr. Former UTSA WR Devin McCuinn and LSU WR Kyle Parker should both have a role in 2026.
Ohio State made Brian Hartline the offensive coordinator this past season and that just didn’t work out in the end. The Buckeyes still have a big decision on who the offensive coordinator is going to be. Nailing that hire is vital to success next year for Ohio State.
Having Notre Dame and Oregon ahead of Ohio State is questionable at best. Ohio State was clearly better than both teams on the field in 2025 and their 2026 rosters are stronger on paper.
Ohio State’s biggest losses came on defenses with players like Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles, Kayden McDonald, Caden Curry, and Davison Igbinosun exiting the program. Luckily for the Buckeyes, they reload just about every season.
The Buckeyes need some of their transfer portal additions to work out in 2026 to maximize their potential. Players like James Smith, John Walker, and Qua Russaw need to have a role on the defensive line. The defensive back additions of Earl Little Jr., Terry Moore, Cam Calhoun, and Dominick Kelly are key as well.
The year of 2025 may have ended disappointingly for the Buckeyes, but they were probably the most talented roster in the sport. To have them at No. 6 at even this point is questionable at best.
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