Thirty-one media members cast ballots in the 16th annual Cleveland.com Preseason Big Ten Football Poll, and fifteen of them put Ohio State at the top. That was enough to edge Oregon, which received 11 first-place votes, and defending national champion Indiana, which collected the remaining five.
The Buckeyes finished with 540 points to Oregon’s 527 and Indiana’s 509. USC (446) and Michigan (430) rounded out the top five, followed by Penn State, Washington, Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota to complete the upper half. Nebraska, Wisconsin, UCLA, Northwestern, Maryland, Michigan State, Rutgers, and Purdue filled out the bottom.
The Big Ten does not release an official preseason poll, which is why the Cleveland.com survey — compiled from beat writers covering all 18 conference programs — has served as the unofficial benchmark since the conference stopped conducting its own 16 years ago. Voters ranked teams 1 through 18, with first-place votes worth 18 points, second-place worth 17, and so on down the line.
Ohio State has been picked first in this poll nine times across its 16-year history. The Buckeyes went on to win the conference championship game in three of those years. Their last Big Ten title came in 2020.
The 2025 season is still fresh enough to sting in Columbus. Ohio State ran the regular-season table at 12-0, then lost consecutive games — to Indiana in the conference championship and to Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. The Hoosiers went on to finish 16-0, beating Miami 27-21 for the program’s first national title.
Ryan Day’s roster turnover was significant. The Buckeyes lost 12 starters from 2025, including four first-round NFL Draft picks: receiver Carnell Tate, defensive end Arvell Reese, safety Sonny Styles, and safety Caleb Downs. Eight of those departed starters played defense.
The rebuild came through the portal and the recruiting trail. Ohio State added 17 transfers — among them safeties Earl Little Jr. and Terry Moore, defensive linemen James Smith, John Walker, and Qua Russaw, linebacker Christian Alliegro, and running back Ja’Kobi Jackson. The Buckeyes also landed the nation’s No. 3 recruiting class, headlined by receiver Chris Henry Jr. and linebacker Cincere Johnson.
What didn’t leave Columbus is what makes Ohio State the favorite. Receiver Jeremiah Smith, arguably the top player in college football, returns alongside quarterback Julian Sayin, a Heisman Trophy finalist last season. Four of five offensive line starters are back. Defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr., cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr., and safety Jaylen McClain anchor a defense that has questions but not voids.
Oregon returns quarterback Dante Moore, who bypassed the NFL Draft for another year in Eugene. The Ducks did lose both coordinators — Will Stein to Kentucky and Tosh Lupoi to Cal — for head coaching opportunities.
Indiana must replace Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who went to the NFL. Curt Cignetti brought in TCU transfer Josh Hoover and owns a 27-2 record through two seasons in Bloomington.
The Big Ten is chasing its fourth consecutive national championship after Michigan (2023), Ohio State (2024), and Indiana (2025) claimed the last three titles.
Ohio State opens the season September 5 against Ball State in Columbus. Week 2 sends the Buckeyes to Austin for a night game at Texas — the kind of early test that tells you real quick whether the poll got it right or whether somebody’s been reading their own press clippings. The conference slate includes home dates with Illinois, Oregon, and Michigan, plus road trips to Iowa, Indiana, USC, and Nebraska.
Big Ten Media Days are scheduled for this week in Chicago.
Sources:
- Cleveland.com — Ohio State picked as 2026 Big Ten favorite
- Yahoo Sports / Hawkeyes Wire — Where is Iowa ranked in preseason Big Ten football poll?
- On3 — Preseason Big Ten Football Poll released by Cleveland.com
- 247Sports — Ohio State football picked to finish first in 2026 Big Ten preseason poll
- Wikipedia — 2026 Big Ten Conference football season