College football coaches expect Ohio State to be the nation’s second-best team in 2022.
Ohio State is ranked second behind only Alabama in the preseason Coaches Poll, which was released by USA TODAY on Monday.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | 1st VOTES | PREV | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALABAMA | 0–0 | 1634 | 54 | NR | — |
| 2 | OHIO STATE | 0–0 | 1564 | 5 | NR | — |
| 3 | GEORGIA | 0–0 | 1542 | 6 | NR | — |
| 4 | CLEMSON | 0–0 | 1356 | – | NR | — |
| 5 | NOTRE DAME | 0–0 | 1284 | – | NR | — |
| 6 | MICHIGAN | 0–0 | 1232 | – | NR | — |
| 7 | TEXAS A&M | 0–0 | 1219 | – | NR | — |
| 8 | UTAH | 0–0 | 1134 | – | NR | — |
| 9 | OKLAHOMA | 0–0 | 1027 | – | NR | — |
| 10 | BAYLOR | 0–0 | 891 | – | NR | — |
| 11 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 0–0 | 859 | – | NR | — |
| 12 | OREGON | 0–0 | 734 | – | NR | — |
| 13 | NC STATE | 0–0 | 726 | – | NR | — |
| 14 | MICHIGAN STATE | 0–0 | 711 | – | NR | — |
| 15 | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA | 0–0 | 602 | – | NR | — |
| 16 | PITTSBURGH | 0–0 | 450 | – | NR | — |
| 17 | MIAMI | 0–0 | 433 | – | NR | — |
| 18 | TEXAS | 0–0 | 383 | 1 | NR | — |
| 19 | WAKE FOREST | 0–0 | 381 | – | NR | — |
| 20 | WISCONSIN | 0–0 | 369 | – | NR | — |
| 21 | KENTUCKY | 0–0 | 353 | – | NR | — |
| 22 | CINCINNATI | 0–0 | 339 | – | NR | — |
| 23 | ARKANSAS | 0–0 | 334 | – | NR | — |
| 24 | MISSISSIPPI | 0–0 | 327 | – | NR | — |
| 25 | HOUSTON | 0–0 | 257 | – | NR | — |
Notre Dame, who Ohio State will play in its Sept. 3 season opener, is ranked 5th in the initial Coaches Poll. Three other teams ranked inside the top 25 are also on Ohio State’s regular-season schedule: Michigan (6th), Michigan State (14th), and Wisconsin (20th). Iowa and Penn State are the first two teams in the “Others Receiving Votes” portion of the poll.
It’s the second time in three years that Ohio State has been ranked in the top two of the initial Coaches Poll, as the Buckeyes were also ranked second in the preseason poll in 2020, behind only Clemson. Ohio State finished that season second in the Coaches Poll behind only Alabama, who defeated the Buckeyes in the national championship game.
Ohio State was ranked fourth in last year’s preseason Coaches Poll and finished the year fifth as the top team in the rankings that didn’t make the College Football Playoff.
