As the final two weeks of the college football regular season dawn, the Buckeyes remain second-best overall in the eyes of coaches and the media.
The top-five teams in both the AP Top 25 and USA TODAY Coaches Poll remained unchanged heading into Week 12 as Ohio State kept its No. 2 spot in both sets of rankings. The lack of change among the highest teams bodes well for the College Football Playoff rankings also remaining consistent ahead of their third release on Tuesday.
Ohio State received one first place vote in the AP Poll, while the Buckeyes and Michigan each obtained a vote for the top distinction in the Coaches Poll. Georgia received the overwhelming majority in both sets of rankings.
Late Saturday losses for Oregon and UCLA saw both teams drop significantly in each poll, likely ending any playoff aspirations for either of those schools. Penn State benefited by moving three spots ahead of each team to climb to No. 11 overall in both polls.
Washington's win over the Ducks made the Huskies the largest gainers in the AP Poll, rising nine spots to No. 15 overall. The Bruins saw the most significant decrease in wake of their defeat to Arizona, falling seven spots to No. 16 overall ahead of their Victory Bell rivalry game with USC.
As for the Coaches Poll, Florida State jumped back into the rankings by rising 11 spots to see the highest increase. Meanwhile, NC State's upset at the hands of Boston College saw the Wolfpack fall nine spots to No. 25 and drop out of the AP rankings entirely.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | TREND | LAST WEEK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GEORGIA | 10–0 | 1,574 (62) | - | @ Mississippi State W 45-19 |
| 2 | OHIO STATE | 10–0 | 1,501 (1) | - | vs Indiana W 56-14 |
| 3 | MICHIGAN | 10–0 | 1,453 | - | vs Nebraska W 34-3 |
| 4 | TCU | 10–0 | 1,374 | - | @ Texas W 17-10 |
| 5 | TENNESSEE | 9–1 | 1,341 | - | vs Missouri W 66-24 |
| 6 | LSU | 8–2 | 1,218 | +1 | @ Arkansas W 13-10 |
| 7 | USC | 9–1 | 1,152 | +1 | vs Colorado W 55-17 |
| 8 | ALABAMA | 8–2 | 1,140 | +2 | @ Ole Miss W 30-24 |
| 9 | CLEMSON | 9–1 | 1,055 | +3 | vs Louisville W 31-16 |
| 10 | UTAH | 8–2 | 965 | +3 | vs Stanford W 42-7 |
| 11 | PENN STATE | 8–2 | 882 | +3 | vs Maryland W 30-0 |
| 12 | OREGON | 8–2 | 856 | -6 | vs Washington L 37-34 |
| 13 | NORTH CAROLINA | 9–1 | 843 | +2 | @ Wake Forest W 36-34 |
| 14 | OLE MISS | 8–2 | 797 | -3 | vs Alabama L 30-24 |
| 15 | WASHINGTON | 8–2 | 693 | +9 | @ Oregon W 37-34 |
| 16 | UCLA | 8–2 | 648 | -7 | vs Arizona L 34-28 |
| 17 | UCF | 8–2 | 537 | +5 | @ Tulane W 38-31 |
| 18 | NOTRE DAME | 7–3 | 495 | +2 | vs Navy W 35-32 |
| 19 | KANSAS STATE | 7–3 | 468 | +4 | @ Baylor W 31-3 |
| 20 | FLORIDA STATE | 7–3 | 386 | +5 | @ Syracuse W 38-3 |
| 21 | TULANE | 8–2 | 273 | -5 | vs UCF L 38-31 |
| 22 | CINCINNATI | 8–2 | 237 | - | vs East Carolina W 27-25 |
| 23 | COASTAL CAROLINA | 9–1 | 143 | - | vs Southern Miss W 26-23 |
| 24 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 7–3 | 85 | - | vs Iowa State W 20-14 |
| 25 | OREGON STATE | 7–3 | 81 | - | vs California W 38-10 |
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | 1st VOTES | PREV | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GEORGIA | 10–0 | 1572 | 61 | 1 | — |
| 2 | OHIO STATE | 10–0 | 1509 | 1 | 2 | — |
| 3 | MICHIGAN | 10–0 | 1445 | 1 | 3 | — |
| 4 | TEXAS CHRISTIAN | 10–0 | 1377 | – | 4 | — |
| 5 | TENNESSEE | 9–1 | 1332 | – | 5 | — |
| 6 | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA | 9–1 | 1214 | – | 7 | +1 |
| 7 | LOUISIANA STATE | 8–2 | 1199 | – | 8 | +1 |
| 8 | ALABAMA | 8–2 | 1122 | – | 11 | +3 |
| 9 | CLEMSON | 9–1 | 1059 | – | 12 | +3 |
| 10 | UTAH | 8–2 | 961 | – | 13 | +3 |
| 11 | NORTH CAROLINA | 9–1 | 904 | – | 14 | +3 |
| 12 | PENN STATE | 8–2 | 859 | – | 15 | +3 |
| 13 | OREGON | 8–2 | 828 | – | 6 | -7 |
| 14 | MISSISSIPPI | 8–2 | 824 | – | 9 | -5 |
| 15 | WASHINGTON | 8–2 | 670 | – | 23 | +8 |
| 16 | UCLA | 8–2 | 572 | – | 10 | -6 |
| 17 | KANSAS STATE | 7–3 | 547 | – | 22 | +5 |
| 18 | CENTRAL FLORIDA | 8–2 | 522 | – | 21 | +3 |
| 19 | NOTRE DAME | 7–3 | 412 | – | 25 | +6 |
| 20 | FLORIDA STATE | 7–3 | 364 | – | NR | +11 |
| 21 | CINCINNATI | 8–2 | 236 | – | NR | +6 |
| 22 | TULANE | 8–2 | 203 | – | 17 | -5 |
| 23 | COASTAL CAROLINA | 9–1 | 179 | – | NR | +3 |
| 24 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 7–3 | 115 | – | NR | +4 |
| 25 | NC STATE | 7–3 | 89 | – | 16 | -9 |
