With a final chance to bolster its postseason hopes and dreams this weekend, Ohio State moved up a spot to No. 5 in the second-to-last edition of the College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday night.
Ahead of the Buckeyes are: Alabama, Oregon, TCU and Florida State.
Ohio State, which finished the regular season 11-1 after beating arch rival Michigan last weekend, plays Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game Saturday.
Head coach Urban Meyer and Co. will do so without star quarterback J.T. Barrett, who suffered a season-ending broken ankle against the Wolverines.
The Buckeyes, which are listed as four-point underdogs to the Badgers, have turned to backup Cardale Jones, who will make his first-career start at Lucas Oil Stadium.
In the Big Ten, Michigan State is No. 8, Wisconsin is 13th and Minnesota fell out of the top 25.
