Ohio State opens at No. 1, the Buckeyes perched where they finished — kings of the hill, with Wisconsin right behind at No. 2. That 1-2 punch is college hockey's most familiar heavyweight bout, and nothing about the preseason suggests that changes.
The real story is Penn State at No. 3. The Nittany Lions didn't just crack the top five — they leapt past Minnesota, a program with trophy cases that need their own wing. That's not a typo; that's a statement. Penn State has been building toward this, and the poll says the rest of the sport is finally paying attention.
Minnesota lands at No. 4 with Northeastern rounding out the top five, and the message is clear: the road to a title still runs through the Midwest, but the neighborhood is getting crowded. Every team starts 0-0. Every team believes the poll is just a starting point. Now the puck drops and we find out who was right.
Data via ESPN · Summarized by D1Ball's editorial engine from official statistics.
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