Ohio State football team ranked No. 1 for 2020 according to this publication

It may not seem like it with all the Armageddon type of issues currently gripping the world, but the preseason college football publications have quietly hit the web and newsstands. I used to be like a kid in a candy store seeking these things out, and one of my favorites was the Lindy’s College Football Preview.

So, yeah — I still pick it up and leaf through it to see where Ohio State and others are. And in the case of 2020, Lindy’s has the Buckeyes pegged as the best team in the country.

That’s a bit of a departure from what every other preseason ranking has OSU — most have it as No. 2 behind Clemson. But there is good reason to have the Buckeyes there which we’ll get into in a bit.

So, what does the popular preseason college mag have to say about Ohio State’s prospect this fall?

Next … What Lindy’s says about Ohio State in 2020

No. 1 – Ohio State

What Lindy’s says

“It’s good to be king. And, make no mistake about it: Ohio State is king of the Big Ten. Wait. Ohio Stae is more than that in 2020. The Buckeyes will emerge as masters of college football. This is their time. Coming off a 13-1 season, a third consecutive league championship, and a College Football Playoff appearance, they’re ready to rise back to the top. It was an impressive debut for precocious Ryan Day, who is poised to overcome an exodus of NFL talent — so long Chase Young, Jeff Okudah, Damon Arnette and seven others — but boffo talent remains.”

“We think Day’s second will become just more Scarlet and Gray lore: Urban Myer, Jim Tressel and (yes) Paul Brown won the national championship in their second season in the Horseshoe. It took a man named Woody until his fourth year to earn his first title, but he then made up for lost time.”

Next … What we say

No. 1 – Ohio State

What we say

There’s good reason to think Ohio State can win another national title. It all starts at the quarterback position where Justin Fields should take a step forward after acclimating himself so well to the offense in year one that he landed an invite to New York as a Heisman finalist.

He’s doing his work behind a veteran and talented offensive line, and some skill position players on the outside that should make opposing defensive coordinators pull their hair out.

The defense lost a lot, but the line figures to be solid again with emerging stars like Zach Harrison and Tyreke Smith. Meanwhile, the linebacking crew is as veteran and versatile as any we’ve seen since Meyer came to town. The secondary is the biggest question mark, but there’s talent there, it just needs to develop.