The season's first College Football Playoff rankings are here, and the Buckeyes are within striking distance of the top four, checking in at No. 10.
Alabama sits atop the rankings with No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 LSU and No. 4 Notre Dame rounding out the top four. No. 5 Michigan and No. 6 Georgia are the next two.
Three other Big Ten teams cracked the top-25, with Iowa ranked No. 16, Penn State at No. 15, and Michigan checking in at No. 5.
| Rank | Team | Record | Key Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALABAMA | 8–0 | @ #3 LSU (11/3), #18 MISS ST (11/10), AUBURN (11/24) |
| 2 | CLEMSON | 8–0 | @ #22 BOSTON COLLEGE (11/10), SOUTH CAROLINA (11/24) |
| 3 | LSU | 7–1 | #1 ALABAMA (11/3), @ #20 TEXAS A&M (11/24) |
| 4 | NOTRE DAME | 8–0 | @ NORTHWESTERN (11/3), #19 SYRACUSE (11/17), @ USC (11/24) |
| 5 | MICHIGAN | 7–1 | #14 PENN STATE (11/3), @ #10 OHIO STATE (11/24) |
| 6 | GEORGIA | 7–1 | @ #9 KENTUCKY (11/3), GEORGIA TECH (11/24) |
| 7 | OKLAHOMA | 7–1 | OKLAHOMA STATE (11/10), @ #13 WEST VIRGINIA (11/23) |
| 8 | WASHINGTON STATE | 7–1 | @ COLORADO (11/10), WASHINGTON (11/23) |
| 9 | KENTUCKY | 7–1 | #6 GEORGIA (11/3), @ TENNESSEE (11/10), @ LOUISVILLE (11/24) |
| 10 | OHIO STATE | 7–1 | @ MICHIGAN STATE (11/10), #5 MICHIGAN (11/24) |
| 11 | FLORIDA | 6–2 | MISSOURI (11/3), FLORIDA STATE (11/24) |
| 12 | UCF | 7–0 | CINCINNATI (11/17), @ SOUTH FLORIDA (11/24) |
| 13 | WEST VIRGINIA | 6–1 | @ #17 TEXAS (11/3), @ OKLAHOMA STATE (11/17), #7 OKLAHOMA (11/24) |
| 14 | PENN STATE | 6–2 | @ #5 MICHIGAN (11/3), WISCONSIN (11/10), MARYLAND (11/24) |
| 15 | UTAH | 6–2 | @ ARIZONA STATE (11/3), @ COLORADO (11/17), BYU (11/24) |
| 16 | IOWA | 6–2 | @ PURDUE (11/3), NORTHWESTERN (11/10) |
| 17 | TEXAS | 6–2 | #13 WEST VIRGINIA (11/3), @ TEXAS TECH (11/10), #24 IOWA STATE (11/17) |
| 18 | MISSISSIPPI STATE | 5–3 | @ #1 ALABAMA (11/10), @ OLE MISS (11/24) |
| 19 | SYRACUSE | 6–2 | #4 NOTRE DAME (11/17), @ #22 BOSTON COLLEGE (11/24) |
| 20 | TEXAS A&M | 5–3 | @ AUBURN (11/3), #3 LSU (11/24) |
| 21 | NORTH CAROLINA STATE | 5–2 | @ NORTH CAROLINA (11/24) |
| 22 | BOSTON COLLEGE | 6–2 | #2 CLEMSON (11/10), #19 SYRACUSE (11/24) |
| 23 | FRESNO STATE | 7–1 | @ BOISE STATE (11/9), SAN DIEGO STATE (11/17) |
| 24 | IOWA STATE | 4–3 | @ #17 TEXAS (11/17) |
| 25 | VIRGINIA | 6–2 | PITTSBURGH (11/2), @ VIRGINIA TECH (11/23) |
