COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — For the eighth consecutive season, the Ohio State Buckeyes will begin a college football season as a top-five ranked team.

The Buckeyes were ranked No. 4 in the preseason USA Today coaches poll, the first major poll released before kickoff of the 2023 season. OSU was one of three teams to receive a first-place vote with two-time defending champions Georgia hauling in 61 of the available 66 first-place votes.

Joining the Bulldogs and Buckeyes in the top-five are reigning Big Ten champions Michigan at No. 2, Alabama at No. 3, and LSU at No. 5, giving the SEC and Big Ten a clean sweep of the top five spots.

Ohio State has four games against preseason ranked opponents: Sept. 23 at No. 13 Notre Dame, Oct. 21 vs. No. 7 Penn State, Oct. 28 at. No. 21 Wisconsin, and Nov. 25 at. No. 2 Michigan.

College football returns on Aug. 26 with Ohio State set to kick-off its season on Sept. 2 against the Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington. The Buckeyes’ first home game will be against Youngstown State at Ohio Stadium on Sept. 9.

Two of OSU’s games will be broadcast on NBC4 in primetime: Sept. 23 at No. 13 Notre Dame and Nov. 11 vs. Michigan State. NBC4’s coverage of primetime Big Ten football gets underway on Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. with Penn State hosting West Virginia. To see the full Big Ten on NBC4 schedule, click here.

2023 will be a marquee season in the sport as the last with a four-team College Football Playoff before its expansion to 12 teams next season. Additionally, it will be the final season in the Big Ten conference with 14 teams as UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Washington all joining before the 2024 football season.