Ohio State Football: Even with mass exodus, Buckeyes still ranked in top 4
Ohio State is ranked high in the polls, and other Big Ten teams are as well.
Another year brings another mass exodus of Ohio State football players to the NFL. Even with that being the case, everybody seems to be picking the Buckeyes to be one of the top four teams in the country next season.
It was reported in an article by Mitchell Rentz of Chat Sports that eight way-too-early polls have Ohio State ranked among the top four teams in the country heading into next season. That’s a testament to how well the backups and co-starters played last season, and how well Urban reloads the football program with top-tier recruits.
Here is a list of the eight polls that have Ohio State ranked as one of the top four teams long before the season even gets started.
Half of these polls have Ohio State ranked No. 3 and the others had the Buckeyes at No. 4
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The pollsters evidently think highly of the top-tier Big Ten teams. Four were often ranked in the top 10, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan State. Michigan was usually ranked in the top 15 as well, and made the top 10 in one poll.
It seems like most believe Wisconsin is the real deal. Every poll had the Badgers in the top 10.
Here is a breakdown of each teams’ average ranking.
- Ohio State 3.5
- Wisconsin 6
- Penn State 8.5
- Michigan State 10.25
- Michigan 15.25
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Obviously, how well teams perform on the field during the 2018 season will determine the final rankings. But it is refreshing to see the Big Ten is being recognized across the country for having several outstanding football teams. That often hasn’t been the case in the past.