18 hours ago 1

Historic College Football Program Disrespected in New Rankings

The Ohio State Buckeyes will be running this season with three quarterbacks in the room: Julian Sayin, Lincoln Kienholz, and Tavien St. Clair. They also have wideout Jeremiah Smith. Yet, due to the inexperience of most of the roster, the defending champions have fallen from No. 1 in early rankings.

In a surprising shake-up of spring standings, iconic Ohio State slipped to No. 5 in Andy Staples’ post-spring Top 25. With roots dating back to 1890 and eight claimed national championships, Buckeyes fans expected a loftier spot.

Monday’s On3 release, however, placed Texas, Notre Dame, Clemson and Penn State ahead of the Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes have yet to reveal their star signal-caller for this fall and this uncertainty in the engine room has presumably contributed to this drop.

"The Buckeyes have a lot to replace on both lines of scrimmage, and they’ll be breaking in a new quarterback." Staples wrote on Sunday. "But having the nation’s best returning offensive player (receiver Jeremiah Smith) and the nation’s best returning defensive player (safety Caleb Downs) is incredible foundation on which to build."

Staples went all-in on his bet that Texas with Arch Manning is going to win the national championship this year. A prediction that will be tested on the season opener of the Buckeyes against the Texas Longhorns this fall on April 30.

As spring practice transitions to fall preparations, Ohio State will lean on key returners such as Smith and Downs while the coaching staff seeks clarity under center.

Read Entire Article