The Buckeyes are returning a solid chunk of their national championship team, including quarterbacks J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones. Two-time Big 10 Offensive Player of the Year Braxton Miller decided to make the transition from quarterback to wide receiver.
MORE: SN Preseason Top 25 | Top 15 programs since 2000 | Bowl projections
Big 12 powers TCU and Baylor, who narrowly missed last year’s College Football Playoff, came in at No. 2 and No. 4 in the preseason poll, respectively.
Oregon, Ohio State’s victim in the national championship game, will start the season as the No. 5 team in the nation, while preseason SEC favorite Alabama holds the No. 3 spot in the polls.
TCU and Alabama each got one first-place vote.
The first regular-season poll is scheduled to be released Sept. 8, while the final regular-season poll is scheduled to be released Dec. 6.
The complete Top 25:
Ohio State TCU Alabama Baylor Oregon Michigan State Auburn Florida State Georgia USC Notre Dame Clemson LSU UCLA Ole Miss Arizona State Georgia Tech Wisconsin Oklahoma Arkansas Stanford Arizona Missouri Boise State Tennessee
