According to the preseason coaches poll, Ohio State’s matchup against Texas in Week 1 will be between the top two teams in the country, but in the AP Top 25, the Buckeyes are the No. 3 team in the country.
Texas is ranked No. 1 in the poll, but the Buckeyes were beat out by Big Ten rival Penn State for the No. 2 spot in the preseason. Rounding out the top five are No. 4 Clemson and No. 5 Georgia.
The Buckeyes received 11 votes for first place, compared to 25 for Texas and 23 for Penn State. Also receiving support with first-place votes were Clemson (four), Georgia (one) and No. 7 Oregon (one)
The Buckeyes are coming off of a national championship, but lost 17 regular contributors to the NFL. Despite that, the voters still believe they are the No. 3 team in the country, making the matchup against the Longhorns one of the bigger games of the year even if it is the season opener.
Other Big Ten teams to make the top 25 before the season are Oregon, No. 12 Illinois, No. 14 Michigan and No. 20 Indiana. The conference’s six teams in the poll are second to the nine from the SEC.
The top 10 also included No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 8 Alabama, No. 9 LSU and No. 10 Miami.
Here’s a full look at the top 25:
| Ranking | Team | Points (First-place votes) |
| No. 1 | Texas | 1552 (25) |
| No. 2 | Penn State | 1547 (23) |
| No. 3 | Ohio State | 1472 (11) |
| No. 4 | Clemson | 1398 (4) |
| No. 5 | Georgia | 1331 (1) |
| No. 6 | Notre Dame | 1325 |
| No. 7 | Oregon | 1236 (1) |
| No. 8 | Alabama | 1179 |
| No. 9 | LSU | 1174 |
| No. 10 | Miami (Fla.) | 889 |
| No. 11 | Arizona State | 791 |
| No. 12 | Illinois | 713 |
| No. 13 | South Carolina | 667 |
| No. 14 | Michigan | 662 |
| No. 15 | Florida | 626 |
| No. 16 | SMU | 565 |
| No. 17 | Kansas State | 512 |
| No. 18 | Oklahoma | 463 |
| No. 19 | Texas A&M | 434 |
| No. 20 | Indiana | 423 |
| No. 21 | Ole Miss | 370 |
| No. 22 | Iowa State | 309 |
| No. 23 | Texas Tech | 274 |
| No. 24 | Tennessee | 192 |
| No. 25 | Boise State | 191 |
