In the first set of rankings by the College Football Playoff selection committee, Ohio State checks in at No. 16.
The Buckeyes, which are 6-1 after defeating unranked Penn State in double overtime, have largely rolled since an increasingly bad loss to Virginia Tech early in the season.
"I wouldn't call it an albatross, but it wasn't a good loss for them," committee chair and Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long said during ESPN's telecast of the unveiling.
"But Ohio State has opportunities in its schedule to play up."
In the Big Ten, Michigan State checked in at No. 8 and Nebraska checked in at No. 15. Ohio State will play the Spartans Nov. 8 in East Lansing —which could very well determine who wins the conference's East Division.
The Cornhuskers, which suffered their lone loss to Michigan State, could represent the West Division in the Big Ten Championship Game in December.
The top six is as follows: Mississippi State, Florida State, Auburn, Ole Miss, Oregon and Alabama.
The Buckeyes are ranked No. 13 in both the Associated Press and Amway Coaches Poll.
The full list of rankings can be seen below:
| Rank | Team | Conf. | Record | Key Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MISSISSIPPI STATE | SEC | 7-0 | @ ALABAMA (11/15), @ OLE MISS (11/29) |
| 2 | FLORIDA STATE | ACC | 7-0 | @ LOUISVILLE (10/30), @ MIAMI (11/15) |
| 3 | AUBURN | SEC | 6-1 | @ OLE MISS (11/1), @ GEORGIA (11/15), @ ALABAMA (11/29) |
| 4 | OLE MISS | SEC | 7-1 | AUBURN (11/1), MISSISSIPPI STATE (11/29) |
| 5 | OREGON | PAC-12 | 7-1 | STANFORD (11/1), @ OREGON STATE (11/29) |
| 6 | ALABAMA | SEC | 7-1 | @ LSU (11/8), MISSISSIPPI STATE (11/15), AUBURN (11/29) |
| 7 | TCU | BIG 12 | 6-1 | @ WEST VIRGINIA (11/1), KANSAS STATE (11/8), @ TEXAS (11/27) |
| 8 | MICHIGAN STATE | BIG TEN | 7-1 | OHIO STATE (11/8), @ PENN STATE (11/29) |
| 9 | KANSAS STATE | BIG 12 | 6-1 | OKLAHOMA STATE (11/1), @TCU (11/8), @BAYLOR (12/6) |
| 10 | NOTRE DAME | IND/ACC | 6-1 | @ ARIZONA STATE (11/8), LOUISVILLE (11/22), @ USC (11/29) |
| 11 | GEORGIA | SEC | 6-1 | FLORIDA (11/1), AUBURN (11/15) |
| 12 | ARIZONA | PAC-12 | 6-1 | @ UCLA (11/1), WASHINGTON (11/15), ARIZONA STATE (11/28) |
| 13 | BAYLOR | BIG 12 | 6-1 | @ OKLAHOMA (11/8), KANSAS STATE (12/6) |
| 14 | ARIZONA STATE | PAC-12 | 6-1 | UTAH (11/1), NOTRE DAME (11/8), @ ARIZONA (11/28) |
| 15 | NEBRASKA | BIG TEN | 7-1 | @ WISCONSIN (11/15), @ IOWA (11/28) |
| 16 | OHIO STATE | BIG TEN | 6-1 | @ MICHIGAN STATE (11/8), MICHIGAN (11/29) |
| 17 | UTAH | PAC-12 | 6-1 | @ ARIZONA STATE (11/1), OREGON (11/8), ARIZONA (11/22) |
| 18 | OKLAHOMA | BIG 12 | 5-2 | BAYLOR (11/8), OKLAHOMA STATE (12/6) |
| 19 | LSU | SEC | 7-2 | ALABAMA (11/8) |
| 20 | WEST VIRGINIA | BIG 12 | 6-2 | TCU (11/1), @ TEXAS (11/8), KANSAS STATE (11/20) |
| 21 | CLEMSON | ACC | 6-2 | @ GEORGIA TECH (11/15), SOUTH CAROLINA (11/29) |
| 22 | UCLA | PAC-12 | 6-2 | ARIZONA (11/1), @ WASHINGTON (11/8), USC (11/22) |
| 23 | EAST CAROLINA | AAC | 6-1 | @ CINCINNATI (11/13), UCF (12/4) |
| 24 | DUKE | ACC | 6-1 | @ PITT (11/1), @ SYRACUSE (11/8), VIRGINIA TECH (11/15) |
| 25 | LOUISVILLE | ACC | 5-2 | FLORIDA STATE (10/30), @ NOTRE DAME (11/22), KENTUCKY (11/29) |
