We don't yet know the final decision regarding Urban Meyer's future at Ohio State, and neither did voters of the preseason AP Poll.
Without knowing Meyer's fate, the pollsters rated the Buckeyes the No. 5 team in the country heading into the season.
Ohio State comes in behind Alabama, Clemson and Georgia – all three of which made the College Football Playoff last season – but also fellow Big Ten team Wisconsin, which is ranked No. 4.
Three other Big Ten teams cracked the top-25, giving the conference a total of five ranked teams. Penn State checks in at No. 10, Michigan State at No. 11, and Michigan at No. 14.
Ohio State was ranked No. 3 by the coaches poll, which was conducted well before Meyer's paid administrative leave, and No. 6 in the FWAA poll released earlier Monday afternoon.
The full rankings can be seen below:
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | 1st VOTES | PREV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALABAMA | 13-1 | 1,505 | 42 | 1 |
| 2 | CLEMSON | 12-2 | 1,476 | 18 | 4 |
| 3 | GEORGIA | 13-2 | 1,350 | – | 2 |
| 4 | WISCONSIN | 13-1 | 1,271 | 1 | 7 |
| 5 | OHIO STATE | 12-2 | 1,256 | – | 5 |
| 6 | WASHINGTON | 10-3 | 1,215 | – | 16 |
| 7 | OKLAHOMA | 12-2 | 1,173 | – | 3 |
| 8 | MIAMI (FL) | 10-3 | 1,027 | – | 13 |
| 9 | AUBURN | 10-4 | 1,013 | – | 10 |
| 10 | PENN STATE | 11-2 | 1,012 | – | 8 |
| 11 | MICHIGAN STATE | 10-3 | 877 | – | 15 |
| 12 | NOTRE DAME | 10-3 | 804 | – | 11 |
| 13 | STANFORD | 9-5 | 778 | – | 20 |
| 14 | MICHIGAN | 8-5 | 773 | – | – |
| 15 | USC | 11-3 | 543 | – | 12 |
| 16 | TCU | 11-3 | 533 | – | 9 |
| 17 | WEST VIRGINIA | 7-6 | 511 | – | – |
| 18 | MISSISSIPPI STATE | 9-4 | 450 | – | 19 |
| 19 | FLORIDA STATE | 7-6 | 384 | – | – |
| 20 | VIRGINIA TECH | 9-4 | 351 | – | 24 |
| 21 | UCF | 13-0 | 312 | – | 6 |
| 22 | BOISE STATE | 11-3 | 292 | – | 22 |
| 23 | TEXAS | 7-6 | 216 | – | – |
| 24 | OREGON | 7-6 | 148 | – | – |
| 25 | LSU | 9-4 | 106 | – | 18 |
