Bullseye on Buckeyes: Ryan Day reacts to Ohio State's preseason No. 1 ranking
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Ohio State football was voted No. 1 for the first time since 2015 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll released Tuesday, Aug. 4. Coach Ryan Day told USA TODAY Sports he appreciates the respect, but his team doesn't get wrapped up in the hype and expectations.
"It doesn't mean anything," he said in an exclusive interview. "All that matters is what happens at the end of the year. Certainly you want to be respected and that's the case, but we know that has nothing to do with anything.
"It's such a long season. We all have expectations, but at the end of the day, we have to win the first game and go on the road to Texas and play a really difficult schedule this year, and that's the bottom line. When you do that you have a bullseye on you, and we're used to that. To me, our guys are pretty numb to all those polls."
The Buckeyes, looking to win their second consecutive national championship, were upset by eventual national championship runner-up Miami in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff last season, but return a talented roster led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin, a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2025, and receiver Jeremiah Smith, one of the top prospects of the 2027 NFL Draft.
Ohio State is also looking for its first Big Ten title since 2020 after falling to Indiana in the conference championship game last season. It won't be easy, either, with matchups against Indiana, Oregon and Michigan in conference play, along with a nonconference Week 2 bout with Texas, the No. 4-ranked team in the poll.
"Every year you've got to look at what went well and then what you need to get fixed," Day said. "I think the easy thing to do is to blow it all up and change it all or do nothing. The harder thing is to identify the right things to fix, and we've tried to do that.
"When you look at our schedule this year, I'd love to say we're going to blow every team out, but that's not going to happen."
Ohio State is one of, if not the top national championship contender for 2026-27, according to the coaches. And while Day isn't looking quite that far ahead yet, it's clear there are big expectations for the Buckeyes this season, even with a difficult schedule.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bullseye on Buckeyes: Ryan Day reacts to Ohio State's preseason No. 1 ranking
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