Penn State, Ohio State and Oregon all possess the talent and depth to win the conference and could finish in any order relative to each other. But something would have to go wrong — very wrong — for any of them to drop to the second tier.

That said, a college football analyst I respect is a bit lower on the Buckeyes coming out of the spring. Josh Pate lists Ohio State outside of his top 5 in post-spring rankings. C

Ohio State football is a fixture in the way-too-early top 25 rankings. However, another Big Ten team has become a trendy pick for the top spot.

Joining Ohio State on the short list are two other Big Ten foes, Michigan and Penn State, as well as South Carolina from the SEC. The Buckeyes got in on the Washington, DC native late, only offering the young man a scholarship a few months ago in early March. It could be a good sign that OSU made such an impression in such a short period.

The Ohio State Buckeyes and head coach Ryan Day will begin their quest for a second straight national championship on August 30 when they take on the Texas Longhorns.