Ohio State topped the 2026 preseason US LBM Coaches Poll when it was released Aug. 4, marking the program's first preseason No. 1 ranking in the poll since 2015.
However, if history is any guide, that may not be the place the Buckeyes want to be.
USA TODAY Sports ******* yzed the history of Coaches Poll preseason rankings and compared the eventual champions to their initial rank, spanning the UPI and USA TODAY-administered versions of the poll since 1978.
Across the 48 years of the Coaches Poll since 1978, the No. 1 ranked team has won the championship just five times. Oklahoma did so in 1985, Florida State in 1993 and 1999, Southern California in 2004 and Alabama in 2017.
Coaches Poll: One lingering question for each Top 25 team in preseason rankings
#poll #coaches #state #rankings
However, if history is any guide, that may not be the place the Buckeyes want to be.
USA TODAY Sports ******* yzed the history of Coaches Poll preseason rankings and compared the eventual champions to their initial rank, spanning the UPI and USA TODAY-administered versions of the poll since 1978.
Across the 48 years of the Coaches Poll since 1978, the No. 1 ranked team has won the championship just five times. Oklahoma did so in 1985, Florida State in 1993 and 1999, Southern California in 2004 and Alabama in 2017.
Coaches Poll: One lingering question for each Top 25 team in preseason rankings
#poll #coaches #state #rankings
1 day ago
