We are about to enter the part of the 2024 college football preseason where we’ll see a ton of predictions and prognostications come out. We have our own, but ESPN — the worldwide leader — also has a lot to say on the topic.
In fact, ESPN released its college football power rankings just recently, and we probably don’t have to tell you that the Ohio State football team is highly thought of in those efforts by Mark Schlabach. We all know the offseason the Buckeyes had, and that certainly played into the ESPN writer’s opinion of the Buckeyes falling at No. 2 on the list, just behind No. 1 Georgia.
Schlabach likes the talent on this Buckeye squad but things Ryan Day has to turn things back around and beat Michigan this year.
“Coach Ryan Day’s teams have won 86.8% of their games since he took over the Ohio State program at the start of the 2019 season. The Buckeyes have defeated every Big Ten opponent in the regular season the past three years except one — Michigan. Unfortunately for Day, Ohio State has lost to the Wolverines three straight times, sullying what has otherwise been a remarkable stretch. After Michigan won a CFP national title under former coach Jim Harbaugh last season, the Buckeyes increased their efforts in the transfer portal, landing five-star safety Caleb Downs (Alabama), tailback Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss) and quarterback Will Howard (Kansas State). Day also turned over the offensive playcalling to his mentor, former UCLA coach Chip Kelly. The Buckeyes get a soft nonconference schedule (home games against Akron, Western Michigan and Marshall) and play the Wolverines at the Horseshoe on Nov. 30.”
ESPN updated its college football power rankings now that spring ball and the transfer portal window are closed. https://t.co/C9iX1GYSB2
— Isaiah Hole (@isaiahhole) May 21, 2024
We can’t say we disagree with that sentiment, but it’s hard to see a team that has more returning talent than what’s going to be running around on the Ohio State sideline. You can almost bank on either Georgia or OSU being ranked No. 1 in the preseason by almost all major polls. Completing out the top ten in ESPN’s power rankings are Texas (3), Oregon (4), Notre Dame (5), Ole Miss (6), Alabama (7), Missouri (8), Utah (9), and Michigan (10).
We’ll keep an eye on things as those polls are released.
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