Ohio State's season did not end the way the program wanted it to, but that doesn't mean the Buckeyes weren't still one of the best teams in college football in 2022.
That much was made clear in the final polls, which both ranked Ohio State as the fourth-best team in the country this year. On Wednesday, we learned exactly how every Coaches Poll voter viewed the Buckeyes this season as the ballots for all 63 voting coaches were released.
Where Ohio State ranked on each coach’s ballot varied from nine coaches putting the Buckeyes second to Syracuse’s Dino Babers slotting the Buckeyes in seventh.
We looked through all of their ballots for a roundup of where Ohio State landed on all 63.
Marcus Freeman, Greg Schiano, Jeff Hafley Rank Ohio State Second
Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman, Boston College's Jeff Hafley and Rutgers' Greg Schiano headline the list of coaches who ranked Ohio State as the No. 2 team in the country after the 2022 season.
Freeman's Irish team traveled to Columbus on Sept. 3 to face the Buckeyes for both program's season openers. Notre Dame led Ohio State 10-7 at halftime, but Ryan Day's squad came out ready in the second half and secured a 21-10 win in the Horseshoe.
Meanwhile, Schiano's Scarlet Knights were a pesky bunch when they visited Ohio Stadium on Oct. 1. Despite the Buckeyes winning comfortably, 49-10, behind a five-touchdown performance from Miyan Williams, Rutgers' players never quit on Schiano and played until the final whistle and even got scrappy with Ohio State and its punter Jesse Mirco after he converted a successful fake punt late in the fourth quarter of the contest.
Hafley's Eagles didn't face the Buckeyes this season. However, the Boston College head coach is familiar with the Ohio State program because of his one-year stint as a defensive backs coach and co-defensive coordinator under Day in 2019.
Other voters: Blake Anderson (Utah State), Rhett Lashlee (SMU), Sean Lewis (Kent State), Joe Moorhead (Akron), Pat Narduzzi (Pittsburgh) and Brent Pry (Virginia Tech)
Pat Fitzgerald, Kyle Whittingham Rank Ohio State Third
Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald and Utah's Kyle Whittingham were among the coaches who ranked Ohio State third in the final poll.
Fitzgerald's Wildcats battled Ohio State for all four quarters on a miserable, cold, rainy day in Evanston on Nov. 5. Northwestern even led 7-0 after the first quarter as it took the Buckeyes time to adjust to the conditions. Emeka Egbuka scored the team's first touchdown in the second quarter before Williams punched in scores in the third and fourth to help Ohio State claim a 21-7 win on the road.
Whittingham's Utah team took Ohio State wire-to-wire in last year's Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes required a field goal from Noah Ruggles with under 10 seconds remaining to find victory in Pasadena. Although the Utes did not play Ohio State this past season, Whittingham has said previously that he has tremendous respect for Day's program after facing them on New Year's Day 2022.
Additionally, Whittingham and his team were responsible for Ohio State's berth to the College Football Playoff as a fourth seed, as the Utes defeated then-No. 4 USC, 47-24, in the Pac-12 Championship, opening a spot for the Buckeyes in the CFP despite their loss to Michigan the week before.
Coach Day, you're welcome. pic.twitter.com/J2Bj5RSeVW
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 3, 2022
Other voters: Brent Brennan (San Jose State), Will Hall (Southern Miss), Thomas Hammock (Northern Illinois), Jeff Monken (Army), Billy Napier (Florida), Ken Wilson (Nevada)
Kirby Smart, Sonny Dykes, James Franklin Rank Ohio State Fourth
Georgia's Kirby Smart, TCU's Sonny Dykes and Penn State's James Franklin are the marquee names that ranked Ohio State fourth in the poll – the most common placement for the Buckeyes in the final rankings.
Following Georgia's 42-41 win over Ohio State in the Peach Bowl, Smart was straightforward with the media that the Buckeyes performed better than the Bulldogs across all 60 minutes of the CFP semifinal, making his team lucky to come away with a win in Atlanta.
Nine days after that win, Smart took his team to Los Angeles for a battle with Dykes and TCU – a battle that did not go well for the Horned Frogs. Dykes’ team allowed 65 points and only scored seven, allowing Georgia to win its second consecutive CFP by 58, the largest margin of victory in the history of a national championship game. Still, Smart ranked the Horned Frogs second and the Buckeyes fourth on his final ballot.
Franklin's Nittany Lions were one of Ohio State's most formidable opponents this past season. They stuck around with the Buckeyes for all four quarters in Happy Valley before pulling away for a 44-31 win. Had JT Tuimoloau not put together one of the best individual performances from a defensive player in the history of college football, that game could have quickly fallen in favor of Penn State. Still, Ohio State won the highly-contested matchup and earned more respect from Franklin in the process.
Other voters: Tim Albin (Ohio), Tom Allen (Indiana), Marcus Arroyo (UNLV), Mike Bloomgren (Rice), Neal Brown (West Virginia), Jamey Chadwell (Coastal Carolina), Dave Clawson (Wake Forest), Kalen DeBoer (Washington), Jake Dickert (Washington State), Dana Dimel (Texas-El Paso), Dave Doeren (NC State), Stan Drayton (Temple), Luke Fickell (Cincinnati), Jedd Fisch (Arizona), Hugh Freeze (Liberty), Willie Fritz (Tulane), Danny Gonzales (New Mexico), Tyson Helton (Western Kentucky), Brady Hoke (San Diego State), Dana Holgorsen (Houston), Butch Jones (Arkansas State), Chris Klieman (Kansas State), Lance Leipold (Kansas), Tim Lester (Western Michigan), Mike Locksley (Maryland), Mike MacIntyre (Florida International), Chuck Martin (Ohio), Joey McGuire (Texas Tech), Ken Niumatalolo (Navy), Sam Pittman (Arkansas), Scott Satterfield (Louisville), Jake Spavital (Texas Tech), Rick Stockstill (Middle Tennessee), Jon Sumrall (Troy), Jeff Tedford (Fresno State), Jeff Traylor (UTSA), Mel Tucker (Michigan State)
Nick Saban Ranks Ohio State Fifth
Had the CFP committee used theoretical point spreads for matchups between Alabama and the three teams who were a lock to make the playoff (Georgia, Michigan and TCU), Nick Saban believes the Crimson Tide would have earned the No. 4 seed in the four-team tournament.
However, Alabama did not make the playoff and instead was invited to play Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, where the Tide dominated the Wildcats from start to finish en route to a 45-20 win.
With a 10-2 record in the regular season and the New Year's Six victory over Kansas State in mind, Saban ranked Alabama as the No. 2 team on his final ballot behind only Georgia while leaving Ohio State out of the top four.
Other voters: Troy Calhoun (Air Force), Sonny Cumbie (Lousiana Tech), Mike Elko (Duke), Jim Mora (UConn)
Dino Babers Ranks Ohio State Seventh
Syracuse's Dino Babers ranked Ohio State the lowest out of any coach who voted in the final Coaches Poll of the 2022 season, placing the Buckeyes as the No. 7 team in his top 25 rankings behind Georgia, TCU, Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee and Florida State.
