3 Buckeyes Named To Phil Steele's 2012 Preseason All-American Teams

Expectations are high for Hankins in 2012

Phil Steele's College Football Blog released its annual 2012 preseason All-American teams. Steele lists four All-American teams.

Three Buckeyes were named to the list this year, a list that consisted of Jonathan Hankins, Jake Stoneburner, and John Simon. Hankins is the only Ohio State player represented on Steele's first team. Stoneburner and Simon are listed on the second team.

Conference-wise, seven of the 11 conferences in Div. 1-A (FBS) are represented — The Big Six, plus Conference USA. 

Unsurprisingly, the SEC leads all conferences with 38 selections; no other league had more than 18. Alabama and LSU lead the way with six players each while Arkansas, Auburn and Georgia each have three 1st-Team selections. LSU overall has the most players with 17 selections while Bama has 12 followed by Florida and Georgia who have 11.

Of the 14 teams that will play in the conference this season, 11 had at least one player on one of Steele’s four teams, the lone exceptions being Missouri, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.

The Big 12 (including WVU) and Pac-12 were next with 18 players each, followed by the ACC with 18, the Big Ten with 14 and the Big East and Conference USA tied at two apiece. 

Independent football programs Notre Dame and BYU had two and one players selected, respectively.

Keep it at Inside The Shoe for the latest news, updates and opinions on Ohio State athletics.

Are The Buckeyes Going To Win The Big Ten?

How far can Fickell take this team?

Phil Steele in his latest predictions, has Ohio State winning the Big Ten Leader's division despite the losses of Terrelle Pryor and Jim Tressel. This isn't too surprising, and he obviously has a lot of faith in what Luke Fickell can do. I do as well, but I can't tell if they can win a B1G championship just yet. I have to be able to see Nebraska, Wisconsin, etc. The B10 is very deep this year, with Wisconsin (along with getting Russell Wilson), Michigan State, an interesting Illinois team, Nebraska, and some early underdogs that could step up with some pretty big upsets.

While I think it is possible, I think the first 5 games are going to be the real test for Braxton Miller (who's been rumored to be the starter, based off subtle notes in the Big Ten media day) and how he plays, along with our stable of running backs, will decide how the rest of the season plays out. Michigan State, Miami, and Nebraska are going to be some real tough tests, not just for Miller, but the defense as well. After the jump, look what Phil Steele has to say about his latest predictions on the Buckeyes.