Preseason Poll Reactions: Ohio State in middle of strong Big Ten

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The AP Preseason Top 25 is here.

Ohio State heads into the 2021-22 season as the No. 17 team in the country, the Buckeyes' highest ranking since the 2013-14 season.

Ohio State finished the 2020-21 season at No. 7, spending seven weeks in the top 10, including three straight weeks — from Feb. 8-22 — at No. 4.

Here's some takeaways from the preseason poll for Ohio State.

Ohio State is one of five teams from the Big Ten in the top-25 at the start of the 2021-22 season along with No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 Purdue, No. 11 Illinois and No. 21 Maryland, the most of any conference.

This part of it makes sense. In the final poll of the 2020-21 season, the Big Ten had five teams in the top 25: No. 2 Illinois, No. 4 Michigan, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 8 Iowa and No. 20 Purdue.

Maryland enters the poll after being unranked for the 2020-21 season, finishing 17-14 with a 9-11 record in conference play.

Ohio State's first game against a Big Ten team ranked in the preseason top-25 won't come until Jan. 30 on the road against Purdue.

This AP preseason poll makes head coach Chris Holtmann's schedule look even tougher.

Before the start of conference play, the Buckeyes will face No. 9 Duke at home Nov. 30, No. 10 Kentucky in Las Vegas Dec. 18 as a part of the CBS Sports Classic and Xavier, who earned 22 votes, on the road Nov. 18.

Add to that games against all four of its fellow ranked opponents in the Big Ten — six games in the final 11 games of the 2020-21 regular season.

That's no cake walk of a schedule.