Ohio State will start the college football season ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press writers poll after finishing last season at No. 3.
In an outcome that came as no surprise, two-time defending national champion Alabama tops the AP preseason poll. The Crimson Tide received 58 of 60 first-place votes while Ohio State and Georgia received one apiece.
The Bulldogs are ranked fifth while Pac-12 foes Oregon and Stanford check in at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively.
South Carolina is No. 6 followed by Texas A&M, Clemson, Louisville and Florida.
Other Big Ten teams in the Top 25 are No. 17 Michigan, No. 18 Nebraska, No. 22 Northwestern and No. 23 Wisconsin. Michigan State and Penn State also received votes.
Northern Illinois led the MAC in points with 17, good for 35th.
Besides Ohio State, the only other team from Ohio to receive votes in the AP preseason poll was Cincinnati. The Bearcats finished with three points to tie Arizona and Penn State for 41st.
The Buckeyes were also ranked No. 2 in the USA Today coaches poll released earlier this month. They received three first-place votes from the coaches while Alabama received the other 58.
Ohio, Kent State and Cincinnati all received votes in the initial coaches poll but did not make the top 25.
