Spring has come and gone in locations like Columbus, Ohio, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, and now we look towards the late summer when Ohio State and its Big Ten brethren begin fall camp in anticipation of the start of the 2026 college football season.
Before then, though, there’s no harm in trying to figure out what the pecking order is in the Big Ten, the conference that has won the last three College Football Playoff national championships. Unlike years past, the roster pretty much is what it is at this point, so we can get a pretty good idea of which teams have the talent to compete for some really big things.
CBS Sports’ Cody Nagel got into the act with his post-spring Big Ten power rankings, and we always raise our eyebrows and turn our attention to these sorts of things to see what the national media thinks of all things scarlet and gray, so yeah — we’re game. So, where exactly does Nagel have Ohio State, and what does he say about them? What other teams are high atop the list?
You’ll be happy to know that the CBS Sports writer has the Buckeyes in the No. 1 slot on his rankings after all the roster moves and bruhaha of the spring. Here’s what Nagel says about Ohio State post-spring.
“The Buckeyes lead our Big Ten post-spring power rankings for the third straight year,” wrote Nagel. “Even after sending more elite talent to the NFL — 29 draft picks over the past three cycles, tied with Georgia and Texas for the most — Ohio State keeps reloading thanks to a steady stream of top-five recruiting classes.
Still, it’s fair to argue the Buckeyes haven’t earned the right to be No. 1 on this power rankings list with zero Big Ten championships in the past five seasons. But they do have arguably the best player in college football in star receiver Jeremiah Smith returning alongside seven other offensive starters, including quarterback Julian Sayin. With the expectation that the defense restocks in 2026, Ohio State remains the Big Ten’s most dangerous team.”
We like the confidence Nagel has in what Ohio State is bringing back and what it has the potential to do, but boy, is that schedule tough. We’ll see if the Buckeyes are able to navigate it, make the College Football Playoff, and then make another run.
The pecking order behind Ohio State is Oregon (2), Indiana (3), USC (4), and Michigan (5), rounding out the top five. Here’s a look at CBS Sports’ complete Big Ten post-spring power rankings.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Where is Ohio State in CBS Sports post-spring Big Ten power rankings?
Reporting by Phil Harrison, Buckeyes Wire / Buckeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
