The Ohio State football program is coming off of two-straight losses to Michigan and a heartwrenching loss to Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in the College Football Playoff. Seemingly everyone with a keyboard and half a brain believe the Buckeyes have been surpassed by the Wolverines as the best team in the Big Ten.
Over the last couple of years, it would be hard to argue with because Michigan has put its throat on the Scarlet and Gray’s intentions of winning the Big Ten.
However, there’s no denying the fact that Ohio State still has the talent to beat and contend with anyone, including Michigan, Georgia, Alabama, and anyone else. In fact, the latest ESPN FPI has OSU as the No. 1 team.
But there’s another ESPN ranking that we like to follow closely, and it has a little different take on where the Buckeyes are in the 2023 college football landscape after the conclusion of spring.
Here’s an updated top 25 ranking of ESPN’s college football power rankings after all the spring games and practices concluded.
25
Wisconsin Badgers
ESPN post-spring ranking
Not Ranked ⇑
What you need to know
Hope is in the air in Madison with the arrival of new head coach Luke Fickell. Will the change pay immediate dividends?
24
Kentucky Wildcats
Change from last ESPN power ranking
Not Ranked ⇑
What you need to know
Kentucky loses quarterback Will Levis, but the thought is that several very good recruiting classes still have the cupboard more than bare to keep things at a pretty high level.
23
UTSA Roadrunners
Change from last ESPN power ranking
22 ⇓
What you need to know
The Roadrunners have been one of the Group of Five darlings over the last couple of years and will be trying to move even further up in the voters’ and public perceptions.
22
Ole Miss Rebels
Change from last ESPN power ranking
20 ⇓
What you need to know
There have been a lot of changes to the roster and coaching makeup of the Rebels, but head coach Lane Kiffin still remains. Many believe in his ability to keep the program at a respectable level.
21
North Carolina Tarheels
Change from last ESPN power ranking
21 ⇔
What you need to know
Head coach Mack Brown has brought Carolina into relevancy, and that should remain with Heisman candidate Drake Maye back at quarterback. Now, about that defense …
20
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Change from last ESPN power ranking
23 ⇓
What you need to know
There are a lot of questions for Texas Tech despite a four-game winning streak to end the season. I have to admit, it’s a little surprising to see the Red Raiders in ESPN’s top 20.
19
Tulane Green Wave
Change from last ESPN power ranking
19 ⇔
What you need to know
Quarterback Michael Pratt and most of his offensive line returns, but there are some replacements needed on defense. Still, there’s talent there to keep the Green Wave among the best of the Group of Five teams.
18
Kansas State Wildcats
Change from last ESPN power ranking
18 ⇔
What you need to know
Whether Kansas State can remain among the top 20 teams in the country will depend on replacing Duece Vaughn at tailback and the production of quarterback Will Howard.
17
Oregon State Beavers
Change from last ESPN power ranking
17 ⇔
What you need to know
The Beavers had a great year last season, and return a lot of production. Whether or not Oregon State takes a further step or not has a lot to do with whether or not Clemson transfer quarterback DJ Uiagalelei can figure things out.
16
TCU Horned Frogs
Change from last ESPN power ranking
12 ⇑
What you need to know
Blood and guts quarterback Max Duggan is gone along with other key offensive contributors, but head coach Sonny Dykes seems to know how to figure things out on offense.
15
Oregon Ducks
Change from last ESPN power ranking
9 ⇑
What you need to know
Bo Nix is back at quarterback, but change is afoot with the coaching staff and personnel on the roster. That could make things difficult to remain in the top ten in 2023.
14
Utah Utes
Change from last ESPN power ranking
13 ⇑
What you need to know
Is there a more fun program to follow than Utah? You have to love the culture and style of play under Kyle Whittingham. If quarterback Cameron Rising can be fully healthy, look out for the Utes to be right there among the favorites in the Pac-12 again.
13
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Change from last ESPN power ranking
14 ⇓
What you need to know
Notre Dame is putting a lot of hope on Wake Forest transfer quarterback Sam Hartman to boost an offense that struggled last season. If there’s forward momentum there, the defense should be good enough to make the Fighting Irish at or near the top ten in 2023.
12
Washington Huskies
Change from last ESPN power ranking
11 ⇑
What you need to know
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. should be must-watch television if the rebuilt offensive line can protect him. The season likely hinges on the play of the O-line.
11
Tennessee Volunteers
Change from last ESPN power ranking
10 ⇑
What you need to know
Can former Michigan quarterback Joe Milton be Hendon Hooker 2.0 within the confines of Josh Heupel’s system? If so, the Vols could again cause some issues in the SEC.
10
Texas Longhorns
Change from last ESPN power ranking
16 ⇓
What you need to know
The annual hype machine is cranking out expectations again for the Texas program. Former Ohio State quarterback Quinn Eweres seems to be the talented starter under center that can get it done with a lot of weapons around him.
9
Clemson Tigers
Change from last ESPN power ranking
16 ⇓
What you need to know
Whether or not Clemson’s past success is a product of this lofty ranking is a real possibility. The defense should be strong, but the offense has to get its act together with players that aren’t as talented as they were a couple of years ago.
8
Penn State Nittany Lions
Change from last ESPN power ranking
6 ⇑
What you need to know
Penn State has the potential to be a spoiler to Ohio State and Michigan. The talent around new quarterback Drew Allar is there if things can come together at the right time.
7
LSU Tigers
Change from last ESPN power ranking
8 ⇓
What you need to know
LSU oozed talent on its roster last season but was too inconsistent to take down top dog Georgia. Quarterback Jayden Daniels might be the best quarterback in the SEC in 2023.
6
Alabama Crimson Tide
Change from last ESPN power ranking
5 ⇑
What you need to know
It sure feels like everyone is sleeping on Alabama because of one off year. This is arguably the most talented roster in college football and if things can be fine at quarterback, look out.
5
Ohio State Buckeyes
Change from last ESPN power ranking
2 ⇑
What you need to know
Ohio State dropping to No. 5 must have to do almost solely with the departure of C.J. Stroud and the issues replacing and developing the offensive line. The defense should be a lot better and the offense still has more skill on the outside than any other team in the country.
4
USC Trojans
Change from last ESPN power ranking
7 ⇓
What you need to know
The defense is really the only thing that held USC back last season. With Caleb Williams back and an offense that should be spectacular, the Trojans are a real threat to make their first College Football Playoff this fall, as long as the defense improves — even modestly.
3
Florida State Seminoles
Change from last ESPN power ranking
4 ⇓
What you need to know
This seems awfully high for a program that lost to every ranked team it played last season. Jordan Travis is a good quarterback with options around him, but it still feels like the Seminoles aren’t quite there yet.
2
Michigan Wolverines
Change from last ESPN power ranking
3 ⇓
What you need to know
There’s no denying the amount of returning production Michigan has coming into 2023. Can the Wolverines stay atop the Big Ten when being the hunted, and can they finally win a postseason game when all the bright lights are on?
1
Georgia Bulldogs
Change from last ESPN power ranking
1 ⇔
What you need to know
Georgia has to replace some defensive stars and of course quarterback Stetson Bennett, but the talent has been stockpiled for a few years now. One look at a schedule that’s not exactly murderer’s row should scare everyone else.
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