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Sunday afternoon, we took another step closer to the college football season when the AP released their initial poll for the 2016 season. In the poll, the Ohio State Buckeyes start at No. 6, and received one first-place vote.
Ohio State made history last season as the first unanimous preseason number one team in both major polls. So while polls are fun to look at and are accepted as a measure of who the best teams in the nation are, don’t necessarily let it help or hurt your expectations of this year’s squad.
Arguably the biggest non-conference game of the season for the Buckeyes comes against Oklahoma, who is ranked No. 3 in the poll. That game will be played September 17 in Norman, and will be crucial for the Buckeyes’ College Football Playoff hopes.
Alabama came in at No. 1 in the poll, followed by Clemson at No. 2, the aforementioned Oklahoma Sooners at No. 3, Florida State at No. 4, and LSU to round out the top five. Michigan came in right behind Ohio State at No. 7. Big Ten foes Michigan State and Iowa came in at No. 12 and No. 17 respectively.
The season starts September 3 against Bowling Green, and we can hardly wait to get Buckeye football started back up. It’s been too long.
Here are the full results of the AP Poll:
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | POINTS | FIRST PLACE VOTES | PREVIOUS RANK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 0-0 | 1469 | 33 | 1 |
| 2 | Clemson Tigers | 0-0 | 1443 | 16 | 2 |
| 3 | Oklahoma Sooners | 0-0 | 1352 | 4 | 5 |
| 4 | Florida State Seminoles | 0-0 | 1325 | 5 | 14 |
| 5 | LSU Tigers | 0-0 | 1269 | 1 | 16 |
| 6 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 0-0 | 1224 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 | Michigan Wolverines | 0-0 | 1147 | 1 | 12 |
| 8 | Stanford Cardinal | 0-0 | 1029 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | Tennessee Volunteers | 0-0 | 1021 | 0 | 22 |
| 10 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 0-0 | 1006 | 1 | 11 |
| 11 | Ole Miss Rebels | 0-0 | 718 | 0 | 10 |
| 12 | Michigan State Spartans | 0-0 | 710 | 0 | 6 |
| 13 | TCU Horned Frogs | 0-0 | 707 | 0 | 7 |
| 14 | Washington Huskies | 0-0 | 651 | 0 | NR |
| 15 | Houston Cougars | 0-0 | 644 | 0 | 8 |
| 16 | UCLA Bruins | 0-0 | 496 | 0 | NR |
| 17 | Iowa Hawkeyes | 0-0 | 484 | 0 | 9 |
| 18 | Georgia Bulldogs | 0-0 | 448 | 0 | NR |
| 19 | Louisville Cardinals | 0-0 | 447 | 0 | NR |
| 20 | USC Trojans | 0-0 | 344 | 0 | NR |
| 21 | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 0-0 | 316 | 0 | 20 |
| 22 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 0-0 | 283 | 0 | 15 |
| 23 | Baylor Bears | 0-0 | 280 | 0 | 13 |
| 24 | Oregon Ducks | 0-0 | 218 | 0 | 19 |
| 25 | Florida Gators | 0-0 | 180 | 0 | 25 |
| Others Receiving Votes: Miami 159, Texas A&M 81, Utah 74, Washington St. 68, Boise St. 49, San Diego St. 46, Wisconsin 42, Auburn 22, Pittsburgh 15, Arkansas 14, Texas 12, Nebraska 11, Navy 8, Northwestern 5, W. Kentucky 4, South Florida 2, Toledo 2. | |||||