USA TODAY releases post spring Big Ten rankings. Where is Ohio State?
USA TODAY has released its post-spring Big Ten football power rankings for 2026. Where did Ohio State land in all the fun?
Everybody has a list and/or rankings these days across multiple things; it's just a matter of what it is and when it comes out. In this case, Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY has released his post-spring Big Ten power rankings, and as always, we are curious what is being said about Ohio State and where the Buckeyes landed. The Buckeyes are coming off a disappointing end to the season.
They were ranked No. 1 ever since the win over Texas to start the year, all the way through the end of an undefeated regular season that included a victory over arch-nemesis Michigan . But then, OSU lost the Big Ten Championship Game to Indiana in a razor-thin margin, then fell to Miami in the Cotton Bowl in a quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff .
End of the line. In the offseason, OSU looked to improve the roster, even after losing a nation-leading eleven players to the NFL draft and having a slew enter the transfer portal. The Buckeyes have a lot of returning talent, but they also brought in 51 new faces to the program, so there are a lot of unknowns about how it will all gel.
And Ohio State isn't alone. Many programs across the country and the Big Ten had to overhaul rosters in the new age of Name, Image and Likeness and the transfer portal, so trying to figure out a pecking order of where teams stand can be more challenging than taking a spoon to a groundbreaking ceremony. Nonetheless, Myerberg likes what Ohio State's roster looks like, so much so that he has OSU as the top dog in the Big Ten after all the spring shenanigans.