The Ohio State Buckeyes are the early favorite in the new look Big Ten conference. They kick off the ranking countdown.

It’s never too early for a “way too early” Big Ten power ranking! Things will change. Players will hurt the portal, players will transfer in, and injuries will happen but for the most part, we have a pretty good understanding of rosters after National Signing Day and so much transfer portal movement.

In each part of this series, we will unveil where each of the 18 teams in the new look conference. We start at No. 1 with the revamped Ohio State Buckeyes.

It has been a very interesting offseason for the Buckeyes, who are clearly going all in on trying to win a championship in 2024. The first step was getting their top talent to come back for another year, which they did. Ohio State was able to convince running back TreyVeon Henderson, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, offensive lineman Donovan Jackson, defensive end JT Tuimoloau, and cornerback Denzel Burke to all bypass a chance at the NFL for a year.

The next step was upgrading several spots, including the quarterback position, offensive coordinator option, and playmakers on defense. Former Kansas State signal caller Will Howard eventually opted for the Buckeyes. As did former Ole Miss star running back Quinshon Judkins and Alabama All-American safety Caleb Downs.

It wasn’t a massive transfer portal haul overall, but it was an impressive one. The Buckeyes were able to attract several standouts, beating a long list of suitors and bringing them to Columbus. As a whole, the program is still built through the portal but balancing that with impact players from the portal is huge in today’s game.

After originally opting for Bill O’Brien as the team’s new offensive coordinator, Ryan Day had to pivot for Chip Kelly after O’Brien took the head coaching position at Boston College. That could end up being a massive upgrade when all is said and done. While Kelly may have fallen out of favor with his ego and lack of recruiting, he is one of the best offensive minds on the college level. Jump-starting the offensive from a creativity perspective could be huge.

Heading into the 2024 season, talent will not be a question for Ohio State. They have the requisite parts to potentially compete for not only a Big Ten championship but a national title as well. It’s going to come down to Coach Day’s ability to grow as the CEO of the program, and putting the right people in place. It looks very promising on paper.