Buckeyes behind Georgia in Phil Steele preseason Power Poll
COLUMBUS — Ohio State is expected to be one of the favorites for the national title this fall. The Buckeyes return nearly their entire defense — and you know the offense will always be great under head coach Ryan Day, and it might be even better with Chip Kelly calling plays.
College football magazine mogul Phil Steele is always an authority on the sport, especially when it comes to his preseason predictions. As is typically the case, for the 2024 issue, Steele extensively broke down his preseason Power Poll. And he loves the Buckeyes heading into this season.
Only problem? He likes one team a bit more than he does the Buckeyes: the Georgia Bulldogs. Yes, the same team that took down the Buckeyes in the 2022 Peach Bowl at the College Football Playoff on its way to the national title is ahead of Ohio State entering this season.
Steele loves both of them, though. Ohio State is No. 2 in his preseason Power Poll, one spot ahead of Big Ten newcomer Oregon and three spots clear of fellow Big Ten power Penn State. Texas is in the fourth spot.
As for the rest of the Big Ten, Steele has defending national champion Michigan at No. 12 entering this season. He has Iowa, which Ohio State plays on Oct. 5, at No. 18, Big Ten newcomer USC at No. 24 and Wisconsin at No. 25.
1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Oregon
4. Texas
5. Penn State
6. Alabama
7. Oklahoma
8. Notre Dame
9. Ole Miss
10. Miami
11. Utah
12. Michigan
13. Clemson
14. Florida State
15. Texas A&M
16. Virginia Tech
17. Oklahoma State
18. Iowa
19. Florida
20. LSU
21. SMU
22. Missouri
23. Louisville
24. USC
25. Wisconsin
Steele also put out a first-team, a second-team, a third-team and a forth-team list for each conference. He has a lot of Buckeyes on the first-team.
On his first-team all-conference lineup, Steele lists seven Buckeyes players. On the offensive side of the ball, he has senior running back TreVeyon Henderson, senior wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and senior starting left guard Donovan Jackson on the first-team All-Big Ten team. Defensively, Steele has four Buckeyes listed. Those players are senior defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, senior defensive tackle Tyleik Williams, senior cornerback Denzel Burke and second-year safety Caleb Downs. Downs, of course, transferred to Ohio State from Alabama after becoming a Freshman All-American for the Crimson Tide as a first-year player. He started games for the Tide.
The other six, of course, all chose to return to the Buckeyes instead of leaving for the NFL this offseason.
