Ohio State will open the season ranked No. 4.
When the Buckeyes begin the 2021 season in just over two weeks, they'll do so as a top-five team as Ohio State checks in at No. 4 in the preseason Associated Press poll.
Ohio State is ranked behind Alabama at No. 1 and both Oklahoma at No. 2 and Clemson at No.3. Ohio State comes in just ahead of Georgia in the preseason rankings as the Bulldogs will open the season at No. 5.
The AP top-five is nearly identical to the preseason coaches poll, which was released last week, with Clemson and Oklahoma swapping rankings.
Oregon, which the Buckeyes will face on Sept. 11, is Ohio State's highest-ranked opponent in the preseason AP Poll, checking in at No. 11.
Here's the full preseason AP Poll:
| Rank | Team | Conference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALABAMA | SEC | 1,548 (47) |
| 2 | OKLAHOMA | Big 12 | 1,462 (6) |
| 3 | CLEMSON | ACC | 1,447 (6) |
| 4 | OHIO STATE | Big Ten | 1,393 (1) |
| 5 | GEORGIA | SEC | 1,364 (3) |
| 6 | TEXAS A&M | SEC | 1,223 |
| 7 | IOWA STATE | Big 12 | 1,160 |
| 8 | CINCINNATI | American Athletic | 1,014 |
| 9 | NOTRE DAME | ACC | 1,009 |
| 10 | NORTH CAROLINA | ACC | 999 |
| 11 | OREGON | Pac-12 | 968 |
| 12 | WISCONSIN | Big Ten | 743 |
| 13 | FLORIDA | SEC | 728 |
| 14 | MIAMI | ACC | 663 |
| 15 | USC | Pac-12 | 660 |
| 16 | LSU | SEC | 631 |
| 17 | INDIANA | Big Ten | 549 |
| 18 | IOWA | Big Ten | 513 |
| 19 | PENN STATE | Big Ten | 456 |
| 20 | WASHINGTON | Pac-12 | 449 |
| 21 | TEXAS | Big 12 | 350 |
| 22 | COASTAL CAROLINA | Sun Belt | 232 |
| 23 | LOUISIANA LAFAYETTE | Sun Belt | 208 |
| 24 | UTAH | Pac-12 | 176 |
| 25 | ARIZONA STATE | Pac-12 | 125 |
