Ohio
Georgia, Ohio State and Oregon lead preseason AP Top 25 college football rankings
For the second consecutive season, Georgia is No. 1 in the preseason AP Top Poll. Several familiar faces join the Bulldogs in the top 25, including three of the four College Football Playoff teams from last season in the top 10.
The Bulldogs are joined in the top five by No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Oregon, No. 4 Texas and No. 5 Alabama. Rounding out the top 10 are No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 8 Penn State, No. 9 Michigan and No. 10 Florida State.
Here’s the complete preseason AP Top 25 poll.
Preseason AP Top 25 Poll rankings
| Rank | School | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia (46) | 1,532 |
| 2 | Ohio State (15) | 1,490 |
| 3 | Oregon (1) | 1,403 |
| 4 | Texas | 1,386 |
| 5 | Alabama | 1,260 |
| 6 | Ole Miss | 1,189 |
| 7 | Notre Dame | 1,122 |
| 8 | Penn State | 1,060 |
| 9 | Michigan | 995 |
| 10 | Florida State | 971 |
| 11 | Missouri | 927 |
| 12 | Utah | 887 |
| 13 | LSU | 804 |
| 14 | Clemson | 689 |
| 15 | Tennessee | 629 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 566 |
| 17 | Oklahoma State | 538 |
| 18 | Kansas State | 526 |
| 19 | Miami (FL) | 492 |
| 20 | Texas A&M | 292 |
| 21 | Arizona | 237 |
| 22 | Kansas | 231 |
| 23 | Southern Cal | 172 |
| 24 | North Carolina State | 171 |
| 25 | Iowa | 140 |
Others receiving votes: Louisville 111, Virginia Tech 77, Boise St. 47, SMU 33, Iowa St. 33, Liberty 32, Washington 23, West Virginia 17, Memphis 16, Nebraska 16, Wisconsin 15, UTSA 6, Tulane 5, Appalachian St. 4, Kentucky 3, Auburn 2, Colorado 1.
SCHEDULE: Click or tap here for game times, TV channels and scores from every game
Most Weeks Ranked No. 1
Here are the 10 FBS programs that have spent the most weeks ranked No. 1 in the AP poll since 1936, according to www.collegepollarchive.com.
| SCHOOL | WEEKS RANKED NO. 1 | Last Time Ranked No. 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 140 | 2022 |
| Ohio State | 105 | 2015 |
| Oklahoma | 101 | 2011 |
| Notre Dame | 98 | 2012 |
| Southern Cal | 91 | 2012 |
| Florida State | 72 | 2014 |
| Nebraska | 70 | 2000 |
| Miami (FL) | 68 | 2002 |
| Georgia | 52 | 2024 |
| Texas | 45 | 2008 |
Florida (41), Michigan (38) and LSU (36) sit just outside the top 10.
SCOREBOARD: See scores and stats from every college football game
AP Poll ranking by conference
The SEC and Big Ten lead all conferences with four top-10 teams each. Here’s a breakdown of the entire top 25 by conference:
| NO. OF PRESEASON TOP 25 TEAMS | CONFERENCE |
|---|---|
| 9 | SEC |
| 6 | Big Ten |
| 5 | Big 12 |
| 4 | ACC |
| 1 | Independent |
Breaking down the preseason poll
Georgia returns to the number one spot after Heisman candidate quarterback Carson Beck opted to stay for his final season. Reigning national champion Michigan dropped to the No. 9 spot after losing 13 players to the NFL draft. Three of the four CFP teams remained in the top 10, with Texas (No. 4) and Alabama (No. 5) returning their own Heisman candidate quarterbacks in Quinn Ewers and Jalen Milroe.
No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Oregon are starting fresh under center, with Kansas State transfer Will Howard taking over for the Buckeyes and Oklahoma transfer Dillon Gabriel for the Ducks. Under the new conference realignments, the top 10 consists of four SEC and four Big Ten representatives, with independent Notre Dame and ACC’s Florida State filling the final two spots.
HEISMAN: Every Heisman winner and runner-up since 1935 | Colleges with the most Heisman winners
Washington, the CFP runner-up, dropped outside of the top 25 to start the season following the loss of Heisman finalist Michael Penix Jr. to the NFL draft and the departure of head coach Kalen DeBoer to Tuscaloosa. The top-ranked ACC team, Florida State, found its replacement for Jordan Travis in former Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei.
Nonconference and early-ranked matchups to watch
In a stacked Week 1 slate, No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 14 Clemson will be the game to watch as the top-ranked SEC and second-ranked ACC team face off at noon in a neutral site game that will almost certainly have College Football Playoff implications down the road.
Here are some other games to watch featuring top 25 teams:
As for other key matchups, College GameDay goes international for the first time as No. 10 Florida State will take on Georgia Tech at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. This is the third consecutive season a Week 0 game will be played in Ireland. The next Saturday, the eighth-ranked Nittany Lions will travel to Morgantown to take on West Virginia in a tough first matchup for Penn State.
The College GameDay bus will make its way back across the pond for the anticipated Week 1 matchup between No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 20 Texas A&M. Big Ten newcomer Southern Cal will face off against LSU in another neutral-site affair, kicking off the season in Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders.
BIG GAMES: 20 non-conference games to have on your radar heading into the 2024 season
Here’s how the 2023 preseason poll turned out
Here’s how the teams ranked in the 2023 preseason AP Top 25 finished last season. Click or tap here for more on how the preseason AP poll predicts the College Football Playoff teams.
| Rank | School (First-place votes) | 2023 Final Ap Top 25 ranking |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia (60) | 4 |
| 2 | Michigan (2) | 1 |
| 3 | Ohio State (1) | 10 |
| 4 | Alabama | 5 |
| 5 | LSU | 12 |
| 6 | Southern California | NR |
| 7 | Penn State | 13 |
| 8 | Florida State | T6 |
| 9 | Clemson | 20 |
| 10 | Washington | 2 |
| 11 | Texas | 3 |
| 12 | Tennessee | 17 |
| 13 | Notre Dame | 14 |
| 14 | Utah | NR |
| 15 | Oregon | T6 |
| 16 | Kansas State | 18 |
| 17 | TCU | NR |
| 18 | Oregon State | NR |
| 19 | Wisconsin | NR |
| 20 | Oklahoma | 15 |
| 21 | North Carolina | NR |
| 22 | Ole Miss | 9 |
| 23 | Texas A&M | NR |
| 24 | Tulane | NR |
| 25 | Iowa | 24 |
Ohio
Mary Lucille Young, Youngstown, Ohio
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (MyValleyTributes) – Mrs. Mary Lucille Young, 74, of Youngstown, departed this life on Friday, April 10, 2026 at her residence where God welcomed her home.
Mary, affectionately known as “Mary Lou” and “Tang”, was born March 8, 1952 in Youngstown, a daughter of Lawrence and Ada Mae Alexander Hamilton Young.
She was a proud 1971 graduate of South High School.
Mary was a member of New Bethel Baptist Church.
She attended Louis Weinberger Hill Beauty School, and was accepted as a model with Barbizon Modeling Agency.
Mary worked and retired from Youngstown Sheet and Tube.
She enjoyed looking her best, dancing, shopping, casinos and decorating her home. Mary was strong, bold and took no mess. She was loved by many people.
She leaves to cherish her memories, her pride and joy, two daughters, Adalatesha Bright and Richlynn Bright; two sons, Ja-Juan Young and Dr. Ty-Juan Bright all of Youngstown; five grandchildren; two sisters, Cynthia (Floyd) Davis, Janet (Steve) Gardner both of Youngstown; and a host of family and friends.
Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by a son, Michael Lamar Young; three brothers, Isaiah, Edward, Lorenzo Young.
Private services were held at the L.E. Black, Phillips & Holden Funeral Home.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary Lucille Young, please visit our floral store.
Ohio
NWSL announces expansion to Columbus, Ohio
The NWSL is once again expanding, this time the league is heading to Ohio where Columbus NWSL 2028 will take the field. Of course, Columbus NWSL 2028 is a placeholder for now and the the new team will unveil its name, crest, and uniform to build an identity around as it approaches its first season.
News of the club was announced yesterday, though this has been in the works for some time, in a press conference. Team owners, the Haslam Sports Group (HSG), Nationwide and Drs. Christine and Pete Edwards, spoke about what they hope the club will bring to Columbus and women’s soccer more broadly.
“Our family is thrilled to help bring an NWSL team to Columbus and further invest in Ohio, with the honor of bringing the 18th team into the league,” said Haslam Sports Group Managing Partner Whitney Haslam Johnson. “We believe in the power of women’s sports and are humbled to be part of the number one women’s soccer league in the world.”
Nationwide insurance has been a corporate partner in both NWSL and MLS for years and now joins an ownership group deepening those ties. “Today’s announcement is about inspiring young athletes across Central Ohio, elevating women’s professional sports and reminding the world that Columbus is a first-class sports city,” said Kirt Walker, Nationwide Chief Executive Officer. “As Nationwide marks 100 years, this is a powerful way to celebrate our milestone with the community that has been our home from the very beginning.”
The Edwards family has deep roots in the Columbus soccer scene with Dr. Pete Edwards serving as team doctor for the Crew in 1996 and the family joining the team’s ownership in 2019 during the Save The Crew effort. “Columbus is very important to our family. For over 30 years, we’ve supported the Columbus Crew and MLS. We’ve seen how a men’s professional soccer team has brought people together and created a positive impact in our community. It’s truly special to now welcome an NWSL club and the incredible women athletes who will also uplift our city on and off the pitch,” said Dr. Christine Edwards. “We’re very excited to partner with Haslam Sports Group and Nationwide for NWSL Columbus 2028, and we can’t wait to share even more memorable moments with fans, especially during the Club’s first game at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.”
The NWSL has continued its expansion with the announcement and the team will join Atlanta in its inaugural season in two years.
Ohio
Ex-Ohio State president Ted Carter’s girlfriend would sneak through campus garage to get to his office, report reveals
Disgraced ex-Ohio State President Ted Carter repeatedly snuck his alleged failing podcaster lover through a campus garage for secret visits to his office as he funneled university resources into her business ventures, a shocking new report claims.
The report into the circumstances behind Carter’s abrupt exit from his cushy $1.5 million-a-year role last month detailed his secret office rendezvous with Krisanthe Vlachos, host of “The Callout Podcast,” and at least five trips he took with her.
The duo jetted off to Richmond, Virginia; Orlando, Florida; Kansas City, Missouri; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Las Vegas – with the married 66-year-old allegedly cooking up a fake business excuse for one trip, the report released Tuesday by the college found.
One social media post showed the pair at a Colorado Springs conference in January, with the ex-prez smiling next to Vlachos, who is clad in an all-black leather getup.
Carter – married to Lynda Carter for nearly 45 years – admitted giving Vlachos “inappropriate access” to university leadership and public resources to boost her private business when he voluntarily resigned.
The probe found he tapped at least 14 staffers to help his purported paramour, who hosted a veteran-focused podcast, including efforts to score her a university job, campus space, support staff, and financial backing from the school and outside agencies like JobsOhio for different business ventures.
“Carter’s actions betrayed Ohio State’s shared values and violated university policy,” the 47-page report said, adding his “wide-ranging” efforts dragged on for almost two years.
“Carter had a close personal and business relationship with Vlachos and he allowed that relationship to improperly influence his actions and impair his judgement.”
JobsOhio shelled out $60,000 to the prexy’s reported flame to produce four podcast episodes about veteran issues – though only one was completed, the agency said last month.
The company, which said its decision to invest was driven by Carter’s recommendation, is now trying to “clawback” the funds after all of Vlacho’s poorly performing podcast episodes were hastily removed from YouTube and other streamers when the scandal erupted.
Carter – who served as a Top Gun pilot and instructor during 38 years in the Navy – admitted in one episode he was a “frequent flyer” on the floundering show, appearing as a guest at least nine times since 2024.
JobsOhio also dished out $10,000 to sponsor a January 2025 event for vets and military families at Ohio State, calling it an “opportunity that Ms. Vlachos brought our attention.”
The agency’s handouts for Vlachos came to an end after she requested a $2.9 million investment in her proposed mobile app, which aimed to help Ohio veterans get jobs.
An Ohio State spokesman previously confirmed officials were investigating an LLC registered to Vlachos at a university-owned building, in connection with the ex-leader’s departure.
Carter and Vlachos have not responded publicly to the relationship allegations.
With Post wires.
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