With a duel against Michigan State approaching, Ohio State moved up two spots to No. 14 in the latest set of the College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday night.
The top four is as follows: Mississippi State, Florida State, Auburn and Oregon. Alabama is No.5 and TCU is No. 6.
The Buckeyes (7-1) demolished Illinois, 55-14, last weekend. They play the eighth-ranked Spartans Saturday at 8 p.m. in East Lansing.
A win, of course, would likely give Ohio State's playoff hopes a significant boost and help it garner national respect after an inexplicable loss to Virginia Tech earlier in the season.
"I think (we) know that already," Meyer said Monday, "that this is a game to get the respect that Ohio State deserves and has had in the past. You have to go compete and win this game and it's going to be a task. But that's real."
Since that setback, the Buckeyes have largely rolled through Big Ten play, albeit against inferior competition.
Michigan State toppled then-undefeated Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game last season. The loss snapped the Buckeyes' 24-game winning streak and dashed their league and national title hopes.
You can view the full rankings here:
| Rank | Team | Conf. | Record | Key Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MISSISSIPPI STATE | SEC | 8-0 | @ ALABAMA (11/15), @ OLE MISS (11/29) |
| 2 | FLORIDA STATE | ACC | 8-0 | @ MIAMI (11/15) |
| 3 | AUBURN | SEC | 7-1 | @ GEORGIA (11/15), @ ALABAMA (11/29) |
| 4 | OREGON | PAC-12 | 8-1 | @ OREGON STATE (11/29) |
| 5 | ALABAMA | SEC | 7-1 | @ LSU (11/8), @ MISSISSIPPI STATE (11/15), @ AUBURN (11/29) |
| 6 | TCU | BIG 12 | 7-1 | KANSAS STATE (11/8), @ TEXAS (11/27) |
| 7 | KANSAS STATE | BIG 12 | 7-1 | @ TCU (11/8), @ WEST VIRGINIA (11/20), @ BAYLOR (12/6) |
| 8 | MICHIGAN STATE | BIG TEN | 7-1 | OHIO STATE (11/8), @ PENN STATE (11/29) |
| 9 | ARIZONA STATE | PAC-12 | 7-1 | NOTRE DAME (11/8), @ ARIZONA (11/28) |
| 10 | NOTRE DAME | IND/ACC | 7-1 | @ ARIZONA STATE (11/8), LOUISVILLE (11/22), @ USC (11/29) |
| 11 | OLE MISS | SEC | 7-2 | MISSISSIPPI STATE (11/29) |
| 12 | BAYLOR | BIG 12 | 7-1 | @ OKLAHOMA (11/8), KANSAS STATE (12/6) |
| 13 | NEBRASKA | BIG TEN | 8-1 | @ WISCONSIN (11/15), @ IOWA (11/28) |
| 14 | OHIO STATE | BIG TEN | 7-1 | @ MICHIGAN STATE (11/8), MICHIGAN (11/29) |
| 15 | OKLAHOMA | BIG 12 | 6-2 | BAYLOR (11/8), OKLAHOMA STATE (12/6) |
| 16 | LSU | SEC | 7-2 | ALABAMA (11/8) |
| 17 | UTAH | PAC-12 | 6-2 | OREGON (11/8), ARIZONA (11/22) |
| 18 | UCLA | PAC-12 | 7-2 | @ WASHINGTON (11/8), USC (11/22) |
| 19 | ARIZONA | PAC-12 | 6-2 | WASHINGTON (11/15), ARIZONA STATE (11/28) |
| 20 | GEORGIA | SEC | 6-2 | AUBURN (11/15) |
| 21 | CLEMSON | ACC | 6-2 | @ GEORGIA TECH (11/15), SOUTH CAROLINA (11/29) |
| 22 | DUKE | ACC | 7-1 | @ PITT (11/1), @SYRACUSE (11/18), VIRGINIA TECH (11/15) |
| 23 | WEST VIRGINIA | BIG 12 | 6-3 | @ TEXAS (11/8), KANSAS STATE (11/20) |
| 24 | GEORGIA TECH | ACC | 7-2 | CLEMSON (11/15), @ GEORGIA (11/29) |
| 25 | WISCONSIN | BIG TEN | 6-2 | NEBRASKA (11/15), @ IOWA (11/22) |
