The Buckeyes open at #1 with a clean 0-0 slate, and that's not a guess — it's a verdict. When voters put you at the top before the season even begins, they're telling you what they saw last year and what they expect to see next. Ohio State didn't lobby for this spot; they earned it the old-fashioned way, by building something nobody in the country wants to face right now.
Trending? Steady and upward. The only direction that matters from here is whether they can hold serve once the games start counting. But for now, every other program in women's hockey is looking up at Columbus. That's not pressure — that's a target on your back you only get when you've done the work.
Data via ESPN · Summarized by D1Ball's editorial engine from official statistics.
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