Ohio State and Urban Meyer are in great position for the College Football Playoff as the sport heads into its postseason.
The Buckeyes are No. 2 in the latest Playoff rankings, released Tuesday night on ESPN. For the third consecutive week, Ohio State only trails unbeaten Alabama and must wait until Sunday to see if its postseason destination will be part of the College Football Playoff Semifinals.
“After discussing it, Ohio State deserves to be No. 2,” Playoff Selection Commitee head Kirby Hocutt said on ESPN.
After losing 30-27 in double overtime at Ohio State, Michigan fell from No. 3 to No. 5 in the rankings. Clemson moves up to No. 3 and Washington is No. 4. Wisconsin, Penn State, Colorado, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
You can see the full rankings here.
Eight teams in the top 10 play this weekend but Ohio State is not one of them after missing out on a chance to play for the Big Ten Championship by virtue of a tiebreaker with No. 7 Penn State. The Nittany Lions face off against Wisconsin on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Washington plays Colorado in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday at 9 p.m., while Alabama plays No. 15 Florida in the SEC Championship Game at 4 p.m. Saturday. Clemson takes on Virginia Tech for the ACC Championship Saturday at 8 p.m. and No. 9 Oklahoma hosts No. 10 Oklahoma State in bedlam at 12:30 p.m.
The rankings that determine the four participants in the 2016 College Football Playoff are set to be announced on Sunday at noon ET.
| Rank | Team | Conf. | Record | Key Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALABAMA | SEC | 12-0 | FLORIDA (12/3-SEC TITLE) |
| 2 | OHIO STATE | BIG TEN | 11-1 | |
| 3 | CLEMSON | ACC | 11-1 | VIRGINIA TECH (12/3-ACC TITLE) |
| 4 | WASHINGTON | PAC-12 | 11-1 | COLORADO (12/2-PAC-12 TITLE) |
| 5 | MICHIGAN | BIG TEN | 10-2 | |
| 6 | WISCONSIN | BIG TEN | 10-2 | PENN STATE (12/3-BIG TEN TITLE) |
| 7 | PENN STATE | BIG TEN | 10-2 | WISCONSIN (12/3-BIG TEN TITLE) |
| 8 | COLORADO | PAC-12 | 10-2 | WASHINGTON (12/2-PAC-12 TITLE) |
| 9 | OKLAHOMA | BIG 12 | 9-2 | OKLAHOMA STATE (12/3) |
| 10 | OKLAHOMA STATE | BIG 12 | 9-2 | @ OKLAHOMA (12/3) |
| 11 | USC | PAC-12 | 9-3 | |
| 12 | FLORIDA STATE | ACC | 9-3 | |
| 13 | LOUISVILLE | ACC | 9-3 | |
| 14 | AUBURN | SEC | 8-4 | |
| 15 | FLORIDA | SEC | 9-3 | ALABAMA (12/3-SEC TITLE) |
| 16 | WEST VIRGINIA | BIG 12 | 9-2 | BAYLOR (12/3) |
| 17 | WESTERN MICHIGAN | MAC | 12-0 | OHIO (12/2-MAC TITLE) |
| 18 | STANFORD | PAC-12 | 9-3 | |
| 19 | NAVY | AAC | 9-2 | TEMPLE (12/3-AAC TITLE), ARMY (12/10) |
| 20 | UTAH | PAC-12 | 8-4 | |
| 21 | LSU | SEC | 7-4 | |
| 22 | TENNESSEE | SEC | 8-4 | |
| 23 | VIRGINIA TECH | ACC | 9-3 | |
| 24 | HOUSTON | AAC | 9-3 | |
| 25 | PITTSBURGH | ACC | 8-4 |
