Ohio State is No. 4.
The Buckeyes are among the four best teams in the country in the eyes of the committee, debuting at No. 4. in the first College Football Playoff Rankings of the season.
Ohio State checks in behind No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Notre Dame, and No. 3 Clemson. The Buckeyes have played the fewest number of games of any of the teams ranked in the top-15.
The Buckeyes are 4-0 on the season with a lone win over a team currently ranked in the College Football Playoff top-25 coming against Indiana this weekend.
Ohio State has no regular season games remaining against teams in the top-25, but will likely face a ranked opponent in the Big Ten Championship, should the Buckeyes win the Big Ten East. That opponent would almost certainly be Northwestern, which was ranked No. 8 in the initial rankings.
Here are the full rankings:
| Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALABAMA | 7-0 |
| 2 | NOTRE DAME | 8-0 |
| 3 | CLEMSON | 7-1 |
| 4 | OHIO STATE | 4-0 |
| 5 | TEXAS A&M | 5-1 |
| 6 | FLORIDA | 6-1 |
| 7 | CINCINNATI | 8-0 |
| 8 | NORTHWESTERN | 5-0 |
| 9 | GEORGIA | 5-2 |
| 10 | MIAMI | 7-1 |
| 11 | OKLAHOMA | 6-2 |
| 12 | INDIANA | 4-1 |
| 13 | IOWA STATE | 6-2 |
| 14 | BYU | 9-0 |
| 15 | OREGON | 3-0 |
| 16 | WISCONSIN | 2-1 |
| 17 | TEXAS | 5-2 |
| 18 | USC | 3-0 |
| 19 | NORTH CAROLINA | 6-2 |
| 20 | COASTAL CAROLINA | 8-0 |
| 21 | MARSHALL | 7-0 |
| 22 | AUBURN | 5-2 |
| 23 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 5-2 |
| 24 | IOWA | 3-2 |
| 25 | TULSA | 5-1 |
