As the season's first College Football Playoff rankings prepare for release Tuesday night, the Buckeyes are still second overall in the nation in both polls.
In wake of a wild 44-31 win over Penn State yesterday that included 45 total fourth quarter points and one of the greatest defensive performances in school history from J.T. Tuimoloau, Ohio State held onto its No. 2 rankings in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches polls released Sunday afternoon.
Quite notably, the AP Top 25 has Tennessee tied at No. 2 overall ahead of its matchup with top-ranked Georgia next weekend. The Volunteers tied with the Buckeyes on poll points, but actually received three more first-place votes than Ohio State after a dominant 44-6 win last night over a Kentucky team that subsequently dropped out of the rankings.
The Nittany Lions fell three spots down to No. 16 in the AP and Coaches polls following their defeat at home, while Illinois climbed ahead three spots to No. 14 in the AP and five spots to No. 13 in the Coaches rankings after a 26-9 win over Nebraska on the road. Michigan held steady at No. 4 overall in each poll after a 29-7 win over Michigan State at home that included a controversial brawl in the tunnel after the game.
Kansas State saw the greatest increase in the AP Poll with a rise up nine spots to No. 13 overall after a 48-0 shutout win over Oklahoma State, while the largest fall saw Wake Forest drop 10 rankings down to No. 20 after a 48-21 loss on the road to Louisville. As for the Coaches poll, Central Florida rose 12 spots in the full rankings to enter the top-25 after defeating previously-ranked Cincinnati 25-21 at home, while Oklahoma State tied Wake Forest for most significant drop at nine spots down to No. 18 following their shutout at the hands of KSU.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | CHANGE | LAST WEEK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GEORGIA | 8–0 | 1,528 (30) | - | vs Florida W 42-20 |
| 2 | OHIO STATE | 8–0 | 1,500 (15) | - | @ Penn State W 44-31 |
| 2 | TENNESSEE | 8–0 | 1,500 (18) | +1 | vs Kentucky W 44-6 |
| 4 | MICHIGAN | 8–0 | 1,378 | - | vs Michigan State W 29-7 |
| 5 | CLEMSON | 8–0 | 1,312 | - | vs Syracuse W 27-21 |
| 6 | ALABAMA | 7–1 | 1,258 | - | vs Mississippi State W 30-6 |
| 7 | TCU | 8–0 | 1,220 | - | @ West Virginia W 41-31 |
| 8 | OREGON | 7–1 | 1,135 | - | @ California W 42-24 |
| 9 | USC | 7–1 | 1,010 | +1 | @ Arizona W 45-37 |
| 10 | UCLA | 7–1 | 979 | +2 | vs Stanford W 38-13 |
| 11 | OLE MISS | 8–1 | 905 | +4 | @ Texas A&M W 31-28 |
| 12 | UTAH | 6–2 | 876 | +2 | @ Washington State W 21-17 |
| 13 | KANSAS STATE | 6–2 | 772 | +9 | vs Oklahoma State W 48-0 |
| 14 | ILLINOIS | 7–1 | 741 | +3 | @ Nebraska W 26-9 |
| 15 | LSU | 6–2 | 679 | +3 | vs Ole Miss W 45-20 |
| 16 | PENN STATE | 6–2 | 641 | -3 | vs Ohio State L 44-31 |
| 17 | NORTH CAROLINA | 7–1 | 542 | +4 | vs Pittsburgh W 42-24 |
| 18 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 6–2 | 513 | -9 | @ Kansas State L 48-0 |
| 19 | TULANE | 7–1 | 455 | +4 | vs Memphis W 38-28 |
| 20 | WAKE FOREST | 6–2 | 388 | -10 | @ Louisville L 48-21 |
| 21 | NORTH CAROLINA STATE | 6–2 | 285 | +3 | vs Virginia Tech W 22-21 |
| 22 | SYRACUSE | 6–2 | 205 | -6 | vs Notre Dame L 41-24 |
| 23 | LIBERTY | 7–1 | 136 | - | vs BYU W 41-14 |
| 24 | OREGON STATE | 6–2 | 129 | - | vs Colorado W 42-9 |
| 25 | UCF | 6–2 | 111 | - | vs Cincinnati W 25-21 |
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | 1st VOTES | PREV | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GEORGIA | 8–0 | 1552 | 45 | 1 | — |
| 2 | OHIO STATE | 8–0 | 1505 | 13 | 2 | — |
| 3 | TENNESSEE | 8–0 | 1455 | 5 | 3 | — |
| 4 | MICHIGAN | 8–0 | 1391 | – | 4 | — |
| 5 | CLEMSON | 8–0 | 1315 | – | 5 | — |
| 6 | ALABAMA | 7–1 | 1262 | – | 6 | — |
| 7 | TEXAS CHRISTIAN | 8–0 | 1182 | – | 7 | — |
| 8 | OREGON | 7–1 | 1118 | – | 8 | — |
| 9 | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA | 7–1 | 1018 | – | 11 | +2 |
| 10 | MISSISSIPPI | 8–1 | 973 | – | 12 | +2 |
| 11 | UCLA | 7–1 | 937 | – | 15 | +4 |
| 12 | UTAH | 6–2 | 874 | – | 14 | +2 |
| 13 | ILLINOIS | 7–1 | 767 | – | 18 | +5 |
| 14 | KANSAS STATE | 6–2 | 713 | – | 22 | +8 |
| 15 | NORTH CAROLINA | 7–1 | 630 | – | 21 | +6 |
| 16 | PENN STATE | 6–2 | 602 | – | 13 | -3 |
| 17 | LOUISIANA STATE | 6–2 | 596 | – | 20 | +3 |
| 18 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 6–2 | 471 | – | 9 | -9 |
| 19 | WAKE FOREST | 6–2 | 437 | – | 10 | -9 |
| 20 | NC STATE | 6–2 | 386 | – | 23 | +3 |
| 21 | TULANE | 7–1 | 369 | – | 24 | +3 |
| 22 | SYRACUSE | 6–2 | 188 | – | 16 | -6 |
| 23 | LIBERTY | 7–1 | 147 | – | NR | +4 |
| 24 | KENTUCKY | 5–3 | 109 | – | 17 | -7 |
| 25 | CENTRAL FLORIDA | 6–2 | 89 | – | NR | +12 |
