COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State will begin the 2022 season ranked as No. 2 in The Associated Press preseason college football poll.
The Buckeyes received six first place votes behind No. 1 Alabama who received 54 of the 63 votes.
This year’s preseason poll marks the 34th consecutive appearance for Ohio State. This is the longest active streak of any program in the country.
The streak, which began in 1989, includes 13 appearances in the top-five of the poll.
The Buckeyes also tied Penn State for the longest poll run in AP history. The Nittany Lions appears in every preseason poll from 1968-2002.
Ohio State has appeared in 69 of 73 AP preseason polls since it was introduced in 1950 which is the most of any program in the country. The only years it was not included are 1966, 1967, 1979 and 1988.
In recent history, the Buckeyes has started the season ranked within the top five nine of the last 10 years, missing 2016 when they were ranked No. 6.
Dating back to 2012, Ohio State has been ranked for 163 consecutive polls in which it’s been eligible. That ranks fifth-longest streak in poll history.
The Buckeyes have been ranked in at least one AP poll for the 55th consecutive season. No other team currently has a streak longer than 26 years.
Ohio State’s schedule features four opponents ranked in the preseason poll: No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 8 Michigan, No. 15 Michigan State and No. 18 Wisconsin.
The season opening matchup with the Irish will be just the 10th time that the Buckeyes have opened a season against a ranked opponent and the first time for a pair of top five teams.
Ohio State has twice opened the season against a top-10 team: 1986 vs. No. 5 Alabama at the Kickoff Classic and 1978 against No. 5 Penn State.
Total Appearances in AP Preseason Poll
1. Ohio State – 69
2. Oklahoma – 64
3. USC – 61
4. Notre Dame – 59
5. Alabama – 56
AP Poll Season Appearance Streak
1. Ohio State – 55 (1968-2022)
2. Georgia and Wisconsin – 26 (1997-2022)
4. Oregon – 25 (1998-2022)
5. Oklahoma – 24 (1999-2022)
Total Appearances in the AP Poll
1. Ohio State – 950 (79.1 percent)
2. Michigan – 887 (73.9 percent)
3. Oklahoma – 877 (73.0 percent)
4. Notre Dame – 849 (70.7 percent)
5. Alabama – 841 (70.0 percent)