[REVISION HISTORY]

Ohio State maintains No. 1 ranking as season begins

Updated 26 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-09-09 01:13 UTC → 2026-09-10 14:46 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The preseason consensus for the 2026 college football season continues to position Ohio State as the primary frontrunner. Early July analytics from ESPN's FPI and SP+ ratings placed the Buckeyes first, highlighting a strong defensive core. By late July, Ohio State topped several unofficial Big Ten preseason media polls, including those from CBS Sports, USA Today, and Cleveland.com, with Oregon and Indiana following in second and third, respectively. The August 5 Coaches Poll reaffirmed Ohio State at No. 1 and Oregon at No. 2, noting Georgia at No. 3 and Alabama at No. 11. On August 17, the Associated Press released its preseason Top 25 poll, maintaining Ohio State at No. 1 with 40 first-place votes, followed by Oregon at No. 2 and Georgia at No. 3. This marks the first time in 65 years that the Big Ten Conference has held both the No. 1 and No. 2 preseason rankings. The AP poll also placed Notre Dame at No. 4 and Texas at No. 5, while noting that Alabama has fallen outside the top 10 for the first time since 2008, landing at No. 13. Reigning national champion Indiana holds the No. 6 spot in the AP poll despite significant roster turnover. Following the start of the regular season, the first AP Top 25 poll shows Ohio State maintaining its No. 1 ranking with 46 first-place votes. However, the rankings have shifted significantly: Georgia has moved to No. 2, Notre Dame to No. 3, and Oregon has slipped from No. 2 to No. 6 after a narrow win over Boise State. LSU entered the top 10 at No. 8, while Michigan fell out of the rankings entirely following a controversial 13-12 victory over Western Michigan.

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