Ohio State to Begin Season Ranked No. 4 in AP Poll
8/16/2021 1:21:06 PM | Football
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State will begin the 2021 campaign ranked No. 4 by the Associated Press, as the organization released its preseason poll today. The Buckeyes’ inclusion in the initial poll continues a number of impressive streaks.
Ohio State has appeared in the AP preseason poll for 33 consecutive years, which is the longest active streak of any program in the country. Oklahoma is second at 22 years. The streak, which began in 1989, includes 12 appearances in the top-five of the poll.
The Buckeyes are now just one year away from tying Penn State for the longest poll run in AP history. The Nittany Lions appeared in every preseason poll from 1968 through 2002. Ohio State’s current streak ties Nebraska (1970-2002) for the second-longest in poll history.
Since the AP preseason poll was introduced in 1950, Ohio State has appeared 68 of 72 times – the most of any program in the country. The only years it was not included was 1966, 1967, 1979 and 1988.
Total Appearances in AP Preseason Poll
1. Ohio State – 68
2. Oklahoma – 63
3. USC – 60
4. Notre Dame – 58
5. Alabama and Texas – 55
The Buckeyes have now been ranked in at least one AP poll for the 54th consecutive season, which is by far the longest active streak in the country and the longest in AP poll history. No other team currently has a stretch longer than 25 consecutive years.
AP Poll Season Appearance Streak
1. Ohio State – 54 (1968-2021)
2. Georgia and Wisconsin – 25 (1997-2021)
4. Oregon – 24 (1998-2021)
5. Oklahoma – 23 (1999-2021)
In more recent history, Ohio State has begun the season ranked within the top five eight of the last nine years (the one exception was 2016 when it came in at No. 6). Between the 2013-21 seasons, Ohio State has earned rankings of No. 2, 5, 1, 6, 2, 5, 5, 2 and 4, respectively. Ohio State has been ranked in the top five for 26 of the last 29 polls that it’s been eligible for. Dating back to 2012, it’s been ranked for 146 consecutive polls in which it’s been eligible.
Overall, no program has appeared in more AP polls (934) or a larger percentage of all-time polls (78.8 percent) than Ohio State.
Total Appearances in the AP Poll
1. Ohio State – 935 (78.8 percent)
2. Michigan – 873 (73.6 percent)
3. Oklahoma – 862 (72.6 percent)
4. Notre Dame – 834 (70.3 percent)
5. Alabama – 826 (69.6 percent)
