A college football program’s success can be measured with the here and now, but to be a true blueblood of the sport, you have to have a pipeline set for future gains as well. Over the years, there haven’t been too many programs that compete at the elite level like the Buckeyes, and that doesn’t figure to end anytime soon, especially coming off a College Football Playoff national championship. OSU is still recruiting at a high level and has the pieces in place to continue to be one of the very best in the sport, even with all of the changes we’ve seen, and will continue to see as the sport moves into uncharted territory.
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg likes to take a look at the college football landscape and provide an annual health check for where teams might be in the future. It’s all changed a bit with the proliferation of transfers, Name, Image and Likeness, and all that we’ve seen, so he now looks out two years to see which programs might still be at the top when we look back after 2026.
The usual suspects are there, like Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Notre Dame, but where does he have Ohio State? To make sense of it all, Rittenberg uses several factors to peer into the college football crystal ball, things like:
Some weigh heavier than others, and some shortcomings can be overcome by a massive strength in other areas. It’s an impossible exercise, but we’ve seen that those on top typically remain near or at the top. So, where does Rittenberg have the Buckeyes?
You’ll be happy to know that Ohio State is firmly planted at No. 2, behind only the Texas Longhorns in the future rankings. Rittenberg leans into OSU having to replace a lot of key pieces over the next couple of years, but likes the chances of the Buckeyes having a multiple-year, talented starting quarterback, the personnel OSU will have, and Day at the helm. If there’s anything holding Ohio State back, it’s losing 14 players to the NFL and not really knowing what the roster will look like with all of the changes.
Now, any OSU fan doesn’t like to not be at the top of any ranking, but sitting at No. 2 through 2026 — if you believe it — should put the Buckeyes in position to do more special things.
Rounding out the top ten of Rittenberg’s top ten behind the Longhorns and Buckeyes are Georgia (3), Oregon (4), Notre Dame (5), Penn State (6), Clemson (7), LSU (8), Tennessee (9), and Alabama (10). In other words, its an SEC/Big Ten party at the top.
Now, the games have to be played on the field before any of this comes to fruition, but as always, Ohio State seems to be positioned for future success.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State ranked highly in ESPN’s future college football rankings
Reporting by Phil Harrison, Buckeyes Wire / Buckeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
