Even though the Buckeyes struggled a bit in a win at Northwestern, they kept their No. 2 spots in both polls yet again.
Following a 21-7 win in a sloppy, rainy and windy game at Northwestern Saturday afternoon, Ohio State was able to remain in the second spot in the AP Top 25 and USA TODAY Coaches Poll after a chaotic Saturday across college football.
In the AP Poll, Georgia and Ohio State remained in the top two spots while the rest of the top 10 shuffled around. Notably, Tennesee fell to No. 5 after losing at Georgia, LSU jumped to No. 7 after beating Alabama, the Crimson Tide fell to No. 10, and Clemson dropped to No. 12 after its upset loss at Notre Dame.
The Buckeyes received one first-place vote while Georgia received the other 62.
Three weeks prior to The Game, the best rivalry in college football could potentially be No. 2 vs. No. 3 in Columbus in late November.
| RANK | TEAM | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | GEORGIA | 1,574 (62) |
| 2 | OHIO STATE | 1,500 (1) |
| 3 | MICHIGAN | 1,455 |
| 4 | TCU | 1,361 |
| 5 | TENNESSEE | 1,339 |
| 6 | OREGON | 1,258 |
| 7 | LSU | 1,132 |
| 8 | USC | 1,061 |
| 9 | UCLA | 1,040 |
| 10 | ALABAMA | 1,009 |
| 11 | OLE MISS | 962 |
| 12 | CLEMSON | 938 |
| 13 | UTAH | 881 |
| 14 | PENN STATE | 735 |
| 15 | NORTH CAROLINA | 676 |
| 16 | TULANE | 607 |
| 17 | NORTH CAROLINA STATE | 547 |
| 18 | TEXAS | 399 |
| 19 | LIBERTY | 358 |
| 20 | NOTRE DAME | 316 |
| 21 | ILLINOIS | 262 |
| 22 | UCF | 257 |
| 23 | KANSAS STATE | 247 |
| 24 | WASHINGTON | 187 |
| 25 | FLORIDA STATE | 78 |
In the Coaches Poll, Georgia and the Buckeyes were able to stay in the first two spots. Every other spot in the top 25 changed outside of Kentucky remaining at No. 24. It's certainly worth noting that Michigan jumped one spot to No. 3, while also receiving two first-place votes.
The four remaining undefeated FBS teams – Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan and TCU – now hold the top-four spots in both the AP and Coaches polls.
With Alabama losing for the second time this season after getting upset by LSU in Baton Rouge Saturday night, the Crimson Tide fell to No. 11. It's the first time Nick Saban's team has been outside the top 10 in the Coaches Poll since 2015.
It's certainly worth noting that Notre Dame is back in the top 25 after they struggled throughout the first few weeks of the season, making Ohio State's season-opening win over the Fighting Irish look a little bit more impressive than it once did.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | 1st VOTES | PREV | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GEORGIA | 9–0 | 1572 | 61 | 1 | — |
| 2 | OHIO STATE | 9–0 | 1505 | – | 2 | — |
| 3 | MICHIGAN | 9–0 | 1447 | 2 | 4 | +1 |
| 4 | TEXAS CHRISTIAN | 9–0 | 1355 | – | 7 | +3 |
| 5 | TENNESSEE | 8–1 | 1284 | – | 3 | -2 |
| 6 | OREGON | 8–1 | 1272 | – | 8 | +2 |
| 7 | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA | 8–1 | 1140 | – | 9 | +2 |
| 8 | LOUISIANA STATE | 7–2 | 1082 | – | 17 | +9 |
| 9 | MISSISSIPPI | 8–1 | 1056 | – | 10 | +1 |
| 10 | UCLA | 8–1 | 988 | – | 11 | +1 |
| 11 | ALABAMA | 7–2 | 973 | – | 6 | -5 |
| 12 | CLEMSON | 8–1 | 896 | – | 5 | -7 |
| 13 | UTAH | 7–2 | 888 | – | 12 | -1 |
| 14 | NORTH CAROLINA | 8–1 | 737 | – | 15 | +1 |
| 15 | PENN STATE | 7–2 | 717 | – | 16 | +1 |
| 16 | NC STATE | 7–2 | 568 | – | 20 | +4 |
| 17 | TULANE | 8–1 | 555 | – | 21 | +4 |
| 18 | TEXAS | 6–3 | 368 | – | NR | +10 |
| 19 | LIBERTY | 8–1 | 366 | – | 23 | +4 |
| 20 | ILLINOIS | 7–2 | 302 | – | 13 | -7 |
| 21 | CENTRAL FLORIDA | 7–2 | 273 | – | 25 | +4 |
| 22 | KANSAS STATE | 6–3 | 243 | – | 14 | -8 |
| 23 | WASHINGTON | 7–2 | 175 | – | NR | +6 |
| 24 | KENTUCKY | 6–3 | 173 | – | 24 | — |
| 25 | NOTRE DAME | 6–3 | 133 | – | NR | +8 |
