Ohio State is the First Unanimous Preseason No. 1 in AP Poll History, Which Could be a Bad Thing

Ohio State received all 61 first-place votes in the preseason Associated Press Poll released yesterday. The Buckeyes are the first team in the 65-year history of the preseason poll to be a unanimous No. 1. Pretty impressive for a team still technically without a starting quarterback.

Alabama (2013) and Florida (2009) each received 58 0f 60 first-place votes. Neither of those teams finished No. 1 after the season.

In fact, entering a season atop the polls has not been a guarantee for ultimate success. Only 10 of the previous 64 squads have gone on to capture the national title. Only two (Florida State in 1999 and USC in 2004) have gone wire-to-wire.

And in more bad news for Ohio State: the last six defending champions to be ranked No. 1 in the poll have failed to repeat.

Those are the dark clouds. The silver lining, of course, is blinding. This is a team with three quarterbacks capable of winning the Heisman trophy (one at a new position), arguably the best coach in college football, and a very favorable schedule. All the elements seem to be in place to buck this trend.

[New York Times]

[Image via USA today Sports]