OSU, Wisc, Indy, Iowa, and PSU make the Preseason Top 25 weeks before kick-off
Yesterday the Associated Press released their Preseason Top 25 for the 2021 college football season. In the AP list, five schools from the Big Ten made the cut which ties them with the SEC who also had five schools appear.
At No. 4, Ohio State is the highest rated school from the Big Ten. They were followed by Wisconsin who came in at No. 12.
Indiana, Iowa, and Penn State had a little block party as they came in at No. 17, No. 18, and No. 19 respectively. The full list can be found below.
No. 1 Alabama tops the preseason AP Top 25 while Oklahoma, Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia round out the top five. Cincinnati, Iowa State and North Carolina all make the top 10.
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) August 16, 2021
Full poll presented by @askRegions: https://t.co/7dTTUiSC1j pic.twitter.com/lQS5VIjDcU
The poll means that when we kick the season off, week one will have two top 25 match-ups in the Big Ten. First we’ll have No. 12 Wisconsin hosting No. 19 Penn State. It’s a game that could derail the season for the losing team before it even get’s started. Then it’ll be No. 18 Iowa hosting No. 17 Indiana, where Indiana will try to build off it’s momentum from last season.
Ohio State could potentially be hosting a top 10 match-up in week two when No. 11 Oregon comes to Columbus to play the Buckeyes. It was supposed to be the return game of their home-and-home series with Oregon before the pandemic wiped the first game out.
Week three however could be quite interesting if Wisconsin and Indiana win their first two games. Should they both be undefeated, Wisconsin would be playing Notre Dame in a neutral field, who is No. 9 in the preseason poll. Indiana meanwhile would host No. 8 Cincinnati. Both games could be a draw nationally as it could mean at least a top 15 match-up in one of these contests, if not both.