COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State will open up the season as the nation’s No. 2 team following the release Monday of the Associated Press preseason top 25 poll.
Other Big Ten teams joining them in the top 25 are Oregon (No. 3), Penn State (No. 8), Michigan (No. 9), USC (No. 23) and Iowa (No. 25). The only other conference with more teams is the SEC with eight teams, headlined by Georgia at No. 1.
Cleveland.com once again has a vote in the poll with Stephen Means taking over the honor. Here’s my full preseason ballot, and a few explanations below:
| Rank | Team | 2023 Record |
|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | Georgia | 13-1 |
| No. 2 | Ohio State | 11-2 |
| No. 3 | Oregon | 12-2 |
| No. 4 | Texas | 12-2 |
| No. 5 | Ole Miss | 11-2 |
| No. 6 | Missouri | 11-2 |
| No. 7 | Utah | 8-5 |
| No. 8 | Alabama | 12-2 |
| No. 9 | Florida State | 13-1 |
| No. 10 | Notre Dame | 10-3 |
| No. 11 | Penn State | 10-3 |
| No. 12 | Michigan | 15-0 |
| No. 13 | NC State | 9-4 |
| No. 14 | Tennessee | 9-4 |
| No. 15 | LSU | 10-3 |
| No. 16 | Clemson | 9-4 |
| No. 17 | Oklahoma | 10-3 |
| No. 18 | Kansas | 9-4 |
| No. 19 | Iowa | 10-4 |
| No. 20 | Oklahoma State | 10-4 |
| No. 21 | Arizona | 10-3 |
| No. 22 | Kansas State | 9-4 |
| No. 23 | Virginia Tech | 7-6 |
| No. 24 | USC | 8-5 |
| No. 25 | Kentucky | 7-6 |
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A close race for No. 1
Every ballot had the Buckeyes and Bulldogs in the top two spots regardless of order. They are clearly a step above every other roster coming into the season. It’s why all but one of the 62 first-place votes went to the two schools.
When both sides have a case for the top spot, you look for separators. Quarterback was that for me.
Carson Beck is the established name at Georgia. Will Howard is the expected winner of OSU’s battle, but until that’s official it’s still just an assumption. Plus it’s still unknown how Howard will perform in his new environment, while we know what to expect from Beck.
I think every other part of these two teams is as close to equal as it can be. Right now Beck has an edge over Howard or whoever else may emerge.
An underrated contender
There’s something to be said about the fact that three of last season’s four Heisman Trophy finalists were fifth-year seniors who were also transfers. Florida State had one of those too, in Jordan Travis, and his season-ending injury essentially robbed the Seminoles of a College Football Playoff spot.
FSU lost some talent to the NFL, but maybe coach Mike Norvell can pull something similar out of DJ Uiagalelei as a fifth-year guy who spent last season trying to rewrite the narrative on his career. He hasn’t lived up to that monster recruiting rating the same way his California peers — Bryce West and C.J. Stroud — did as members of the 2020 class. But he flashed some things at Oregon State that suggest maybe something clicks this year.
If Florida State can get through a weaker ACC unscathed once again, maybe they make noise now that the CFP field is eight teams larger.
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A team I’m low on
Texas A&M is starting from scratch with Mike Elko taking over the program. I think he’s got his work cut out for him in a new SEC with a program that quite frankly underachieved under Jimbo Fisher.
It’s hard for me to put that in the top 25 to start the season when there’s so much unknown. Elko was building something at Duke, but it’s not like he turned the Blue Devils into a perennial 10-win team the last two seasons. Now they’re asking him to do so in College Station in Year 1. Not sure that’s feasible.
Just missed out
Nebraska could easily be undefeated by the time it faces Ohio State. Favorable schedule, five-star quarterbacks and a roster with some promising talent that got some experience last year even if it didn’t lead to wins.
I left the Cornhuskers off my ballot for now, but their resume could make them an easy addition within the first two weeks of the season.
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