First set of SP+ preseason rankings released. Where is Ohio State?
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We're still putting the finishing touches on March Madness and the NCAA Tournament, but it'll be college football season for Ohio State and everyone else before you know it. In fact, on the banks of the Olentangy, we are in the middle of spring drills that work to put the building blocks in place for this fall.
In another sign that things are moving along in the college football offseason, we got our first look at ESPN's SP+ rankings ahead of the 2026 season, a metric that uses four factors in the preseason to rank all 136 FBS teams, including returning production, recent history, recent recruiting, and coaching change effects. You can get more into the weeds on those four items by heading over to ESPN to understand the analytics more, but for now, we'll just say that Ohio State is highly favored — as it usually is — in Bill Connelly's first installment of these SP+ rankings.
In fact, the Buckeyes, who return a significant amount of skilled players, are ranked as the No. 1 team in the SP+ preseason rankings, just ahead of Oregon, Notre Dame, Georgia, and Indiana among the top five.
It might be surprising to see Ohio State at No. 1 with the loss of stars like Carnell Tate, Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, Caleb Downs, and others, but we didn't ask to see how the sausage was made; we're just consuming it. OSU does bring back all-everything receiver Jeremiah Smith, one of the Heisman frontrunners in quarterback Julian Sayin, and returning running back star Bo Jackson. It also has a very veteran offensive line and plenty of pieces to play with through the transfer portal and returners for defensive coordinator Matt Patricia to play with.
OSU is ranked No. 2 in offense, No. 1 in defense, and No. 67 in special teams.
The Big Ten is well represented in the preseason SP+, with Oregon, Indiana, USC, and Michigan also appearing inside the top 15. Here's a look at the top 15 of the SP+ rankings.
2026 Preseason SP+ rankings
| Team | SP+ | Off. SP+ | Def. SP+ | ST SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Ohio State | 31.8 | 40.6 (2) | 8.8 (1) | 0.1 (67) |
| 2. Oregon | 28.3 | 40.7 (1) | 12.6 (3) | 0.3 (50) |
| 3. Notre Dame | 25.8 | 40.2 (3) | 14.6 (9) | 0.3 (47) |
| 4. Georgia | 25.5 | 38.2 (5) | 13.3 (5) | 0.6 (3) |
| 5. Indiana | 24.5 | 37.4 (9) | 13.5 (6) | 0.5 (22) |
| 6. Texas | 23.7 | 37.6 (7) | 14.3 (8) | 0.4 (31) |
| 7. Texas Tech | 23.1 | 37.6 (8) | 14.7 (11) | 0.2 (54) |
| 8. Miami | 21.0 | 34.4 (12) | 13.7 (7) | 0.3 (42) |
| 9. Texas A&M | 20.3 | 37.3 (10) | 16.7 (14) | -0.3 (99) |
| 10. LSU | 20.2 | 32.5 (21) | 12.5 (2) | 0.2 (53) |
| 11. Alabama | 18.2 | 31.3 (32) | 12.6 (4) | -0.4 (109) |
| 12. Oklahoma | 17.2 | 31.6 (27) | 14.7 (10) | 0.4 (33) |
| 13. USC | 16.8 | 37.7 (6) | 20.5 (29) | -0.3 (100) |
| 14. Michigan | 16.1 | 32.8 (20) | 16.2 (13) | -0.5 (113) |
| 15. Tennessee | 16.0 | 38.7 (4) | 23.0 (50) | 0.4 (34) |
Now, remember that Ohio State has a daunting schedule this fall, so how this all shakes out remains to be seen. And, as always, championships aren't won on paper; they are forged on the field, as we found out last year.
We'll keep an eye on how these SP+ rankings change throughout the course of the offseason and into the opening game for Ohio State on Sept. 5.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State football high atop first preseason SP+ rankings for 2026
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