Coaches Know What They See
Coaches will tell you that preseason polls mean nothing. They say the only thing that counts is the score on the board. That is true for the fans who just want to see their team win. But there is a real reason why Ohio State being ranked No. 1 matters right now. These are the coaches who call the plays and watch every snap. They know the game better than the writers in the AP. When coaches claim the Buckeyes are the best team in the country, they mean it.
According to Land-Grant Holy Land, the coaches believe the Buckeyes are the top team despite huge questions on defense. The roster has so many new starters. They need to fix their running game. They need the offensive line to bounce back. Yet the coaches still picked them No. 1. It shows they think the talent on offense is just too good to ignore.
Stars Make the Difference
The coaches are looking at the players who can change a game in a flash. They see Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin. Per On3 Buckeyes, these two form the country’s top passer-receiver duo. Last fall, Sayin found Smith 87 times for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns. Those are insane numbers for a first-year starter. Smith is described as the “outstanding player in college football” by the Maxwell Award criteria.
The coaches know that having a star like Smith is enough to rank a team No. 1 before a single game is played. The Buckeyes also have Bo Jackson, a second-year running back who rushed for 1,090 yards last season. That kind of star power is rare. It explains why the coaches are so confident. They see a team that can score points in a hurry.
A Hard Road Ahead
Being No. 1 comes with a heavy target on your back. One of the toughest schedules in program history awaits Ohio State. Almost every other Big Ten team ranked in the preseason poll will face the Buckeyes. They start with a road trip to Iowa on Oct. 3. Then they face No. 6 Indiana and No. 2 Oregon. One of the games of the year will be a trip to No. 4 Texas.
On New Year’s Eve, the roster looked completely different than it does now. Eight defensive starters and a top-five NFL Draft pick at wide receiver were lost by Ohio State. They also have a new offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith. He has a solid career but has not been in college for a long time. This is a highly scrutinized job. The coaches think the Buckeyes can handle it, but the road to the Big Ten Championship is much harder now.
Prove It on the Field
The preseason poll is just a starting point. It gets people talking and sets the stage for the season. Now it is up to the players to show they deserve that No. 1 spot. They have new faces on defense and a new play-caller on offense. The schedule is brutal. If they want to win a national title, they have to survive the gauntlet. The coaches have given them the top ranking. The rest is on the team to prove it.
