Ohio State Beats Out Defending CFP National Champs In Way-Too-Early Top-25 Poll
The Ohio State Buckeyes knocked on the door of a national championship repeat, but a Cotton Bowl loss to the Miami Hurricanes crushed that dream. Now, fast-forwarding to the present, the Buckeyes have a chance to wipe the slate clean and do it all over again.
Amongst the national media, On3's J.D. PicKell sees massive potential for Ohio State despite the season being five months away.
PicKell ranked the Buckeyes at No. 2, only behind the SEC's Georgia Bulldogs in his post-spring Top-25 despite the Big Ten winning the last three national titles (with the Buckeyes doing so to cap the 2024-25 season).
Ohio State was one of eight Big Ten teams to crack a list that included the Oregon Ducks (No. 3), Indiana Hoosiers (No. 7) and Michigan Wolverines (No. 14), to name a few.
Despite losing to the Hoosiers in the Big Ten title game, PicKell suggests the Buckeyes could earn two cracks at them this season with the potential second one being the highly-anticipated rematch in the conference title game this December.
OSU already looking forward to 2026
But first, though, the season must play out from the beginning which coach Ryan Day is already looking forward to following last Saturday's spring game in Columbus.
"We only need to really focus on getting better individually," Day told reporters. "That's what comes after the spring is identifying the things we did well that we have to get better at. That starts individually. Each guy is in a race to get better. I just told the team that."
Quarterback Julian Sayin, who is seeking to rewrite a wrong and win the Heisman Trophy this year, said he knows where he needs to get better, too.
"I think I can improve on a lot," Sayin said. "Pocket presence and working that ability to escape and extending plays. Gving us more chances on offense. I think still working on that leadership role as well."
Fellow quarterback Tavien St. Clair has a different mindset this season despite needing to compete against Sayin, according to Day.
"Being quarterback at Ohio State is not easy, and he's battling every day," Day said.
Day said that overall, spring football was an evaluation period more or less.
"I think we're off to a good, solid start," Day said. "But with 50 new players, we've got a lot of work to do. I don't think we're behind where I thought we'd be right now. But we all know that where we are with some of these new players and some of the guys we had to replace, it's going to be a process."
Now we will see how the Buckeyes eventually respond as the summer gets closer
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ohiostate as Ohio State Beats Out Defending CFP National Champs In Way-Too-Early Top-25 Poll.
Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 1:15 PM.