Ohio State is not in the driver's seat when it comes to its chances at playing for a Big Ten Championship but it currently resides in the passenger's chair of the College Football Playoff.
Urban Meyer's Buckeyes are No. 2 in the latest set of rankings, up three spots from a week ago. The Buckeyes rose on the heels of their second straight 62-3 victory, this one at Maryland, in addition to losses by the three teams the committee slotted ahead of them last week—Clemson, Michigan and Washington.
Unbeaten Alabama remains the top-ranked team in the country. Michigan, Clemson, Louisville, Washington and Wisconsin trail Ohio State to round out the top seven. Full rankings can be seen here.
“We look at the complete resume, Ohio State has three wins over top-10 teams,” College Football Playoff Selection Committee Chair Kirby Hocutt said. He added the committee is "very impressed" with Ohio State's back-to-back 62-3 wins.
Ohio State is 9-1 and readying for a visit to 3-7 Michigan State. Kickoff between the Buckeyes and Spartans is scheduled for noon on Saturday. Ohio State must win out and have No. 8 Penn State lose to either Rutgers this weekend or the Spartans in the regular season finale for the Buckeyes to be the East Division representative in the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 3.
Due to Michigan's loss at Iowa on Saturday night, the Buckeyes must win out and hope the Nittany Lions lose at least one game in the next two weeks to assure them a chance at being the Big Ten East's representative in Indianapolis.
The Buckeyes are also ranked second in the most recent AP and Coaches Polls, released on Sunday.
| Rank | Team | Conf. | Record | Key Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALABAMA | SEC | 10-0 | AUBURN (11/26) |
| 2 | OHIO STATE | BIG TEN | 9-1 | @ MICHIGAN ST. (11/19), MICHIGAN (11/26) |
| 3 | MICHIGAN | BIG TEN | 9-1 | @ OHIO STATE (11/26) |
| 4 | CLEMSON | ACC | 9-1 | @ WAKE FOREST (11/19), S. CAROLINA (11/26) |
| 5 | LOUISVILLE | ACC | 9-1 | @ HOUSTON (11/17) |
| 6 | WASHINGTON | PAC-12 | 9-1 | @ WASHINGTON STATE (11/25) |
| 7 | WISCONSIN | BIG TEN | 8-2 | MINNESOTA (11/26) |
| 8 | PENN STATE | BIG TEN | 8-2 | MICHIGAN STATE (11/26) |
| 9 | OKLAHOMA | BIG 12 | 8-2 | WEST VIRGINIA (11/19), OKLAHOMA STATE (12/3) |
| 10 | COLORADO | PAC-12 | 8-2 | WASHINGTON STATE (11/19), UTAH (11/26) |
| 11 | OKLAHOMA STATE | BIG 12 | 8-2 | @ TCU (11/19), OKLAHOMA (12/3) |
| 12 | UTAH | PAC-12 | 8-2 | UTAH (11/26) |
| 13 | USC | PAC-12 | 7-3 | @ UCLA (11/19) NOTRE DAME (11/6) |
| 14 | WEST VIRGINIA | BIG 12 | 8-1 | OKLAHOMA (11/19), BAYLOR (12/3) |
| 15 | AUBURN | SEC | 7-3 | @ ALABAMA (11/26) |
| 16 | LSU | SEC | 6-3 | FLORIDA (11/19), TEXAS A&M (11/24) |
| 17 | FLORIDA STATE | ACC | 7-3 | FLORIDA (11/26) |
| 18 | NEBRASKA | BIG TEN | 8-2 | @ IOWA (11/25) |
| 19 | TENNESSEE | SEC | 7-3 | MISSOURI (11/19), @ VANDERBILT (11/26) |
| 20 | BOISE STATE | MWC | 9-1 | @ AIR FORCE (11/25) |
| 21 | WESTERN MICHIGAN | MAC | 10-0 | TOLEDO (11/25) |
| 22 | WASHINGTON STATE | PAC-12 | 8-2 | @ COLORADO (11/19), WASHINGTON (11/25) |
| 23 | FLORIDA | SEC | 7-2 | @ LSU (11/19), @ FLORIDA STATE (11/26) |
| 24 | STANFORD | SEC | 7-3 | @ CALIFORNIA (11/19), RICE (11/26) |
| 25 | TEXAS A&M | SEC | 7-3 | LSU (11/24) |
