The Ohio State Buckeyes will be losing a number of impact players on the defensive end, notably linebackers Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles, defensive end Caden Curry, and safety Caleb Downs, all potential first-round picks at the NFL draft in April.
Ducks Wire's Zachary Neel believes those losses can't justify putting the Buckeyes' defense ahead of Oregon or the Indiana Hoosiers' ahead of the 2026 College Football season. Neel admitted he was safe with his pick, though, believing that Ohio State can justifiably be ranked No. 1; presumably because of Matt Patricia's presence, the incoming transfer portal class, and/or the blue-chips stepping into a bigger role across the depth chart.
"If you wanted to argue that Ohio State should be No. 1 on this list, I would have a pretty hard time arguing against you. They undoubtedly had the best unit in the nation last year, and while they lost a ton of great players, and like first-round draft picks, they replaced them with some elite transfer portal players. While the Buckeyes are deserving of a top spot, I ultimately put them behind the likes of Oregon and Indiana because of the personnel turnover," Neel wrote.
Ohio State no longer a trendy pick in College Football
There's a level of OSU fatigue at play here, since the defense was so good for two straight seasons that a fall-off seems inevitable. In general, the Buckeyes aren't a darling in College Football anymore, being seen this past season as a program that couldn't put all their top-tier talent together on either side of the ball when the games mattered most.
Indiana is trendy after proving Curt Cignetti can do less with more and reinvesting in him after winning it all. Following Dante Moore's return to the Ducks' QB room, after Dylan Raiola committed as a transfer, Oregon is also trendy. Then there's the SEC, which is itching to have one of its members back on top.
Ohio State is ahead of the Hoosiers and Ducks in talent. If Arthur Smith's play-calling doesn't hold this team back, and the run game actually thrives with the long-time NFL coach, there's no reason the Buckeyes should be seen as anything but the definitive favorites this fall.
Especially if the defensive talent lives up to the hype and proves Patricia's unit is still the best in the country.