When Stewart Mandel of The Athletic revisited his spring top-25 rankings after spring practices were over, Ohio State had fallen one spot.
The Buckeyes came in at No. 3 in Mandel’s newest rankings released on June 1, down from No. 2 in his previous version.
Ahead of the Buckeyes are two Big Ten teams, Oregon at No. 2, which also fell one spot, and reigning national champion Indiana at No. 1, which jumped five spots from No. 6.
There is a long way to go until the season begins — just over three months until Ohio State’s season opener on Sept. 5 against Ball State — and an even longer way to go until the rankings actually matter or mean anything, but there is at least more information to try to predict which teams will be in the conversation for top team this season.
Just behind the Buckeyes in the rankings were No. 4 Miami (Fla.), No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 6 Georgia, the first SEC team of nine in the top 25. There are seven Big Ten teams in the rankings, but the conference boasts each of the top three teams.
Here’s what Mandel had to say about Ohio State:
The expectations for the Buckeyes are always impossibly high, but last year’s young team arguably overachieved during the regular season before exiting the College Football Playoff early. It’s always possible that losing 25 draft picks in two years will catch up to Ohio State, but five-star freshman Henry already looked like its next great receiver in the spring game.
It’s entirely possible that losing so many talented players to the NFL over the last two seasons could have an impact on Ohio State. However, head coach Ryan Day and company made a point to go into the transfer portal and bring in players who have played college football before.
The Buckeyes look to have a tough schedule ahead of them, with both Indiana (Oct. 17) and Oregon (Nov. 7) on the schedule, along with No. 7 Texas (Sept. 12), No. 12 USC (Oct. 31) and No. 17 Michigan (Nov. 28). The games against the Hoosiers, Longhorns and Trojans will all be on the road.
The coaches of all of these teams on Mandel’s list would be the first to say that rankings mean nothing, especially in the summer, but it seems as if the Buckeyes should be in the conversation for best team in the country going into the season.
