Coming off a dominating win over Notre Dame last season in the Fiesta Bowl, the Ohio State Buckeyes are ranked #1 in the coaches preseason poll. Defending national champions Texas is ranked #2, followed by USC and Notre Dame tied for the #3 spot.

Ohio State has to overhaul its defense with the graduation of several stars, including the entire starting linebacking trio of A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel. But the Buckeyes have talented players waiting in the wings, and they return nearly all of their key players on offense, including quarterback Troy Smith and wide receiver and return specialist Ted Ginn Jr., both Heisman Trophy candidates.

Defending national champion Texas (13-0) is second after receiving 11 first-place votes and 1,378 points. But the Longhorns, who won a championship for the ages with a 41-38 triumph over Southern California in the Rose Bowl, have to replace all-everything quarterback Vince Young, who left after his junior season and was drafted third by the Tennessee Titans.

This sets up another huge matchup between the Buckeyes and the Longhorns, this time in Austin on September 9th. Both schools deserve huge credit for scheduling games in back-to-back seasons.