Ohio State behind Michigan in top five of preseason coaches poll

COLUMBUS — Ohio State is in the top five of the preseason USA TODAY Sports AFCA football coaches poll, but the No. 4 Buckeyes are behind both Georgia and, more notably, Michigan.

The back-to-back national champion Bulldogs are unsurprisingly No. 1, and the Wolverines — who have beaten Ohio State and won the Big Ten two consecutive years — are No. 2.

Alabama, which has won three national titles in the College Football Playoff era, is No. 3.

Ohio State is No. 4, and LSU rounds out the preseason coaches poll top five at No. 5.

Georgia received 61 first-place votes, Alabama received four first-place votes and Ohio State snagged one first-place votes. Michigan was the only team ranked inside the top four that didn’t get a first-place vote.

There are four Big Ten teams in the Top 25: No. 2 Michigan, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State and No. 21 Wisconsin. The Badgers, who are led by new head coach Luke Fickell, are the only Big Ten West team ranked in the poll. The 2023 season, however, is the Big Ten’s final season with divisions.

Here is the complete Top 25:

GeorgiaMichiganAlabamaOhio StateLSUUSCPenn StateFlorida StateClemsonTennesseeWashingtonTexasNotre DameUtahOregonTCUKansas StateOregon StateOklahomaUNCWisconsinOle MissTulaneTexas TechTexas A&M

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Indiana: 26 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 111 days

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