With the first College Football Playoff rankings to be revealed on Tuesday, Ohio State is trending in the right direction in the most recent AP and Coaches Polls following the Buckeyes’ 20-13 win over Penn State in Happy Valley on Saturday.
The Buckeyes followed only No. 1 Oregon and No. 2 Georgia in the AP Poll, while No. 4 Miami and No. 5 Texas rounded out the top five. Penn State dropped three spots to No. 6 after its loss to Ohio State on Saturday.
The only other Big Ten team joining the Ducks, Buckeyes and Nittany Lions in the poll was No. 8 Indiana, which moved to 9-0 on the season with a 47-10 win at Michigan State on Saturday.
SMU earned the biggest rise in the AP Poll, climbing eight spots, after a 48-25 dismantling of previously unbeaten Pittsburgh on Saturday, while Clemson faced the largest fall — dropping eight spots to No. 19 as a result of its loss to Louisville.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OREGON | 9–0 | 1550 (62) | – |
| 2 | GEORGIA | 7–1 | 1449 (0) | – |
| 3 | OHIO STATE | 7–1 | 1442 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 4 | MIAMI (FL) | 9–0 | 1348 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 5 | TEXAS | 7–1 | 1310 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 6 | PENN STATE | 7–1 | 1158 (0) | ▼ 3 |
| 7 | TENNESSEE | 7–1 | 1150 (0) | – |
| 8 | INDIANA | 9–0 | 1123 (0) | ▲ 5 |
| 9 | BYU | 8–0 | 1084 (0) | – |
| 10 | NOTRE DAME | 7–1 | 1066 (0) | ▼ 2 |
| 11 | ALABAMA | 6–2 | 867 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 12 | BOISE STATE | 7–1 | 853 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 13 | SMU | 8–1 | 752 (0) | ▲ 7 |
| 14 | LSU | 6–2 | 707 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 15 | TEXAS A&M | 7–2 | 662 (0) | ▼ 5 |
| 16 | OLE MISS | 7–2 | 653 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 17 | IOWA STATE | 7–1 | 592 (0) | ▼ 6 |
| 18 | ARMY | 8–0 | 468 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 19 | CLEMSON | 6–2 | 447 (0) | ▼ 8 |
| 20 | WASHINGTON STATE | 7–1 | 351 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 21 | COLORADO | 6–2 | 234 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 22 | KANSAS STATE | 7–2 | 227 (0) | ▼ 5 |
| 23 | PITTSBURGH | 7–1 | 203 (0) | ▼ 5 |
| 24 | VANDERBILT | 6–3 | 130 (0) | – |
| 25 | LOUISVILLE | 6–3 | 115 (0) | – |
Ohio State was similarly ranked in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, slotting in behind No. 1 Oregon and No. 2 Georgia while No. 4 Miami and No. 5 Texas made up the rest of the top five. The Nittany Lions fell four spots to No. 7 after losing to the Buckeyes on Saturday.
Ole Miss enjoyed the biggest rise in the poll, gaining six spots to move to No. 12, thanks to a 63-31 win at Arkansas. Clemson endured the largest fall, dropping nine spots to No. 17.
Like the AP Poll, the Big Ten was represented by the Ducks, Buckeyes, Nittany Lions and No. 10 Hoosiers.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OREGON | 9–0 | 1349 (53) | – |
| 2 | GEORGIA | 7–1 | 1267 (1) | – |
| 3 | OHIO STATE | 7–1 | 1245 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 4 | MIAMI (FL) | 9–0 | 1194 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 5 | TEXAS | 7–1 | 1138 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 6 | TENNESSEE | 7–1 | 1039 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 7 | PENN STATE | 7–1 | 982 (0) | ▼ 4 |
| 8 | NOTRE DAME | 7–1 | 961 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 9 | BYU | 8–0 | 918 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 10 | INDIANA | 9–0 | 916 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 11 | ALABAMA | 6–2 | 772 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 12 | OLE MISS | 7–2 | 657 (0) | ▲ 6 |
| 13 | LSU | 6–2 | 653 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 14 | BOISE STATE | 7–1 | 615 (0) | ▲ 5 |
| 15 | SMU | 8–1 | 603 (0) | ▲ 5 |
| 16 | TEXAS A&M | 7–2 | 518 (0) | ▼ 5 |
| 17 | CLEMSON | 6–2 | 513 (0) | ▼ 9 |
| 18 | IOWA STATE | 7–1 | 511 (0) | ▼ 8 |
| 19 | ARMY | 8–0 | 404 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 20 | WASHINGTON STATE | 7–1 | 284 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 21 | KANSAS STATE | 7–2 | 201 (0) | ▼ 6 |
| 22 | MISSOURI | 6–2 | 192 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 23 | PITTSBURGH | 7–1 | 178 (0) | ▼ 6 |
| 24 | COLORADO | 6–2 | 124 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 25 | VANDERBILT | 6–3 | 85 (0) | ▲ 4 |
