AP Preseason College Football Rankings 2015: Analyzing Initial Top 25 Poll

It's not a surprise that defending champion Ohio State is the No. 1 team in the preseason AP poll, but it's a bit of a shock to see that the Buckeyes gained all 61 first-place votes in the poll.

Massive respect has been shown to Urban Meyer's team, and it's clear that the pollsters had Ohio State's dramatic two-game sweep over Alabama and Oregon in winning the first College Football Playoff championship at the top of their thinking. Ohio State is the first unanimous preseason No. 1 in the history of the poll.

While that's notable, it's not necessarily great news for the Buckeyes. Ohio State has been a preseason No. 1 on seven other occasions, but it has never finished in the top slot.

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This is the 27th straight year Ohio State is ranked in the preseason AP poll. Full rankings: http://t.co/6IGQSPDTw1 pic.twitter.com/9PQj5lhQ3C

— ESPN (@espn) August 23, 2015"

Meyer's team is going to have to deal with many significant challenges along the way, and the first is an internal one. Who gets to start at quarterback for the Buckeyes?

It will be either Cardale Jones, who led Ohio State to the two playoff wins over the Crimson Tide and the Ducks, or J.T. Barrett, who was a Heisman Trophy candidate prior to suffering a season-ending injury at the end of the regular season in 2014.

Pos.	Team	Points (First-Place Votes)
1	Ohio State	1,525 (61)
2	TCU	1,428
3	Alabama	1,322
4	Baylor	1,263
5	Michigan State	1,256
6	Auburn	1,192
7	Oregon	1,156
8	USC	1,085
9	Georgia	991
10	Florida State	959
11	Notre Dame	873
12	Clemson	862
13	USC	698
14	LSU	675
15	Arizona State	605
16	Georgia Tech	588
17	Mississippi	563
18	Arkansas	410
19	Oklahoma	394
20	Wisconsin	393
21	Stanford	347
22	Arizona	311
23	Boise State	240
24	Missouri	219
25	Tennessee	114

Meyer has said that he won't name a starter until the season opener against Virginia Tech Sept. 7. "We're going to play the guy that helps us win," Meyer said at the Big Ten media days in July (h/t New York Times).

Meyer added that the decision would be "data-driven," but that whatever he feels in his gut at the moment of choice would also be a factor.

Ohio State is trying to become the 12th team to win back-to-back championships since the AP began its college football poll in 1936.

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8th preseason #1 for Ohio State, breaks tie with USC and trails only Oklahoma (10)

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 23, 2015"

TCU is ranked second in the poll, but the Horned Frogs are nearly 100 points behind the Buckeyes. They could be a major threat to steal the No. 1 spot because of the superb passing attack led by quarterback Trevone Boykin. The Horned Frogs also return a strong offensive line intact.

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Big gap from No. 1 and unanimous Ohio State in AP poll to No. 2 TCU. But also big gap between TCU and No. 3 Alabama.

— Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) August 23, 2015"

Alabama, Baylor and Michigan State follow, and that means the Big Ten has two teams in the top five. Auburn checks in at No. 6, while Oregon, USC, Georgia and Florida State follow to round out the top 10.

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Well here you go. Highest preseason rankings ever for No. 2 TCU and No. 4 Baylor. https://t.co/l0fERMmQh5

— Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) August 23, 2015"

The Crimson Tide figures to be a dominant team once again, and Nick Saban will have powerful lines on both sides of the line of scrimmage. But he won't have Amari Cooper, T.J. Yeldon or Trey DePriest, and those are difficult losses to overcome. 

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Alabama is No. 3 in the AP Preseason poll. Lowest preseason AP ranking since 2009 (No. 5)

— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) August 23, 2015"

Shock Linwood and Johnny Jefferson give Baylor a dominant and intimidating rushing attack, but there are questions about the quarterback position without Bryce Petty.

The Spartans have built one of the most dependable programs in the country, and head coach Mark D'Antonio always puts together a nasty defense. He also has Connor Cook, who is one of the top quarterbacks in the nation.

OddsShark also agrees that the Buckeyes are the No. 1 team in the nation. They are plus-300 according to the odds site with Alabama as the second choice at plus-750 and Auburn third at plus-900. Those three teams are the only teams with odds that under plus-1,000.