The Ohio State Buckeyes are the top-rated team in the country. For the first time since 2015, they are preseason number one in both polls. They are viewed as the preseason favorites to win the national championship based on those results, despite the onerous schedule they face.
There is a real chance that the Buckeyes end up with the best offense in the country. Jeremiah Smith returns as the best player in the country, and Julian Sayin will be playing his second year as a starter. Yet, the Associated Press doesn't think the individual talent on the team is very strong.
Ohio State has just two Preseason AP All-Americans
The Associated Press just has two members of the Ohio State football team on its list of All-Americans. Smith appears on the team, and it would have been a crime if he weren't. He has a chance to own every Ohio State receiving record by the time this season ends.
Luke Montgomery is the other Buckeye to appear on the list, and he is listed on the Second Team. Smith was listed as First Team All-American. Montgomery is perhaps the most stable force on the offensive line for the Buckeyes this season, but he's not the most important one.
Despite being a Heisman Finalist last season, Sayin doesn't appear on either team. He is left off the list. That should add more fuel to the fire as he tries to prove to scouts that he should be a first-round pick. Last season, Sayin led the country in completion percentage, completing 77 percent of his throws.
Defensively, Ohio State lost a lot of talent, so it's no surprise that an individual on that side of the ball doesn't appear on the Preseason All-American team. At the end of the year, there is a good chance that someone emerges to become an All-American on defense, though.
Ohio State is ready to prove the Associated Press wrong
Despite playing one of the hardest schedules in the country, the Buckeyes are determined to prove the AP wrong. Carson Hinzman had an argument to be put on the Second Team after starting at center for the third year of his career. He is the other stable force on the offensive line.
On defense, John Walker, on the defensive line as a transfer player, has a shot to be an All-American. He is someone that the Buckeyes are very high on after he comes in from UCF. Kenyatta Jackson Jr., the only returning starter on the defensive line, has a shot to do that, as well.
The Week 2 matchup against the Longhorns will give fans a better indication of how good this Ohio State team can be. Another suffocating win, such as the one they gave Texas last year, would really make the Buckeyes confident they can win it all.
Ryan Day is looking to add a second national championship to his resume to put him on another level when it comes to the hierarchy of Ohio State coaches in history.
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