Ohio State’s quest for one of the top four spots in the College Football Playoff began with the release preseason Amway Coaches Poll from USA Today Sports Thursday, as the Buckeyes found themselves in the No. 2 spot to begin the year behind top-ranked Alabama.
This is the third straight season that coach Urban Meyer’s squad has been in the top five of these rankings, with the most recent coming when they ranked fifth to start the 2016 campaign.
Other programs that rounded out the top five include Florida State, USC and Clemson. A total of four Big Ten programs made an appearance in the poll, including Penn State (No. 6), Michigan (No. 9) and Wisconsin (No. 10).
Oklahoma, which will come to Ohio Stadium on Sept. 8 for a rematch with the Scarlet and Gray, topped out at No. 8 in the rankings.
Ohio State will open its season on Aug. 31 when it takes on the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.
