College football coaches around the country predict that Ohio State will be one of the nation's best teams once again this season – but not quite one of the four best.
Ohio State is ranked fifth in the preseason USA TODAY Sports coaches' poll, which was released Thursday morning, behind Clemson, Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma.
The Buckeyes did not receive any first-place votes.
LSU, Michigan, Florida, Notre Dame and Texas round out the top 10.
In total, seven Big Ten teams made the preseason coaches poll, with Penn State (14), Wisconsin (17), Iowa (19), Michigan State (20) and Northwestern (25) joining Ohio State and Michigan. Nebraska also received the most votes among teams that did not make the top 25.
The full top 25:
| Rank | Team | Points (1st Place Votes) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CLEMSON | 1619 (59) |
| 2 | ALABAMA | 1566 (6) |
| 3 | GEORGIA | 1447 |
| 4 | OKLAHOMA | 1415 |
| 5 | OHIO STATE | 1368 |
| 6 | LSU | 1218 |
| 7 | MICHIGAN | 1155 |
| 8 | FLORIDA | 1103 |
| 9 | NOTRE DAME | 1100 |
| 10 | TEXAS | 1038 |
| 11 | TEXAS A&M | 893 |
| 12 | WASHINGTON | 834 |
| 13 | OREGON | 787 |
| 14 | PENN STATE | 699 |
| 15 | UTAH | 642 |
| 16 | AUBURN | 606 |
| 17 | WISCONSIN | 436 |
| 17 | UCF | 436 |
| 19 | IOWA | 343 |
| 20 | MICHIGAN STATE | 313 |
| 21 | WASHINGTON STATE | 274 |
| 22 | SYRACUSE | 227 |
| 23 | STANFORD | 200 |
| 24 | IOWA STATE | 169 |
| 25 | NORTHWESTERN | 161 |
Ohio State finished third in last year's Coaches Poll – matching its preseason ranking – despite missing the College Football Playoff after going 13-1 with a Big Ten championship and a Rose Bowl win.
Even with a first-year head coach in Ryan Day and a new starting quarterback in Justin Fields, Ohio State is expected to be one of the top national championship contenders once again, but the Tigers, Crimson Tide, Bulldogs and Sooners are the teams considered most likely to stand in the way.
The fifth-ranked Buckeyes are set to begin their preparations for the 2019 season with their first practice of preseason camp at 9:30 a.m. Friday.
