Defending national champion Ohio State leads all teams by a large margin to claim the top spot in the Super 16 preseason poll released by the Football Writers Association of America and the National Football Foundation.

The Buckeyes were the top selection on 38 of the 40 ballots cast by the voters.

The Big 12 have two teams in the Top 16, with TCU and Baylor occupying the second and fourth spots in the poll, respectively. TCU received one first-place vote.

Alabama, the team the Buckeyes defeated in one of the two 2014 College Football Playoff Semifinals, is third in the poll, sandwiched in between the two Big 12 schools. The Crimson Tide received the other first-place vote.

Oregon, which lost to Ohio State in the national title game last season, is fifth in the initial poll.

The SEC leads all leagues with five teams in the poll, followed by the Pac-12 with four. The ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten have two teams each. Independent Notre Dame has the other vote.

Click here to see the entire poll.