The Associated Press believes Ohio State is the nation's second-best team ahead of the 2022 season.
Like the Coaches Poll released by USA TODAY last week, the Buckeyes are No. 2 behind Alabama and landed in front of Georgia, Clemson and Notre Dame. Ohio State's program-rival Michigan was No. 6 in the Coaches Poll but earned the eighth spot in the AP.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | PREV | CONFERENCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALABAMA | 0–0 | 1,566 (54) | 2 | SEC |
| 2 | OHIO STATE | 0–0 | 1,506 (6) | 6 | Big Ten |
| 3 | GEORGIA | 0–0 | 1,455 (3) | 1 | SEC |
| 4 | CLEMSON | 0–0 | 1,292 | 14 | ACC |
| 5 | NOTRE DAME | 0–0 | 1,242 | 8 | IA Independents |
| 6 | TEXAS A&M | 0–0 | 1,212 | – | SEC |
| 7 | UTAH | 0–0 | 1,209 | 12 | Pac-12 |
| 8 | MICHIGAN | 0–0 | 1,203 | 3 | Big Ten |
| 9 | OKLAHOMA | 0–0 | 956 | 10 | Big 12 |
| 10 | BAYLOR | 0–0 | 884 | 5 | Big 12 |
| 11 | OREGON | 0–0 | 831 | 22 | Pac-12 |
| 12 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 0–0 | 814 | 7 | Big 12 |
| 13 | NORTH CAROLINA STATE | 0–0 | 752 | 20 | ACC |
| 14 | USC | 0–0 | 711 | – | Pac-12 |
| 15 | MICHIGAN STATE | 0–0 | 631 | 9 | Big Ten |
| 16 | MIAMI (FL) | 0–0 | 476 | – | ACC |
| 17 | PITTSBURGH | 0–0 | 383 | 13 | ACC |
| 18 | WISCONSIN | 0–0 | 365 | – | Big Ten |
| 19 | ARKANSAS | 0–0 | 348 | 21 | SEC |
| 20 | KENTUCKY | 0–0 | 332 | 18 | SEC |
| 21 | OLE MISS | 0–0 | 324 | 11 | SEC |
| 22 | WAKE FOREST | 0–0 | 303 | 15 | ACC |
| 23 | CINCINNATI | 0–0 | 265 | 4 | American Athletic |
| 24 | HOUSTON | 0–0 | 263 | 17 | American Athletic |
| 25 | BYU | 0–0 | 234 | 19 | IA Independents |
Ohio State will face Notre Dame on Sept. 3 in a top-five matchup for its home opener. The Buckeyes' regular-season schedule also includes three other teams ranked inside the top 25: Michigan (6th), Michigan State (15th) and Wisconsin (18th). Iowa and Penn State were two of the teams featured in the "Others Receiving Votes" category.
Last season, the Buckeyes started as the fourth-best team in the AP Poll. They fell as low as No. 11 in the Week 5 release after an early loss to Oregon, a sluggish performance against Tulsa and a blowout win over Akron. Their highest ranking was second in Week 13 before the program's first loss to Michigan in almost a decade, which sent them out of the top five. Ohio State ended the year by defeating Utah in the Rose Bowl and finished sixth in the poll.
Before Monday's rankings were released, Ohio State was No. 1 all-time for most weeks spent in the AP Poll with 950. The next closest program was Michigan with 887, followed by Oklahoma with 877, Notre Dame with 849 and Alabama with 841.
