After back-to-back weeks as the top-ranked team in the CFP, Ohio State fell behind Georgia in the third release of the rankings.
The Buckeyes took care of business over the weekend in a 38-3 win over Michigan State. However, the Bulldogs made a statement with its 52-17 blowout of then-No. 9 Ole Miss, leading the committee to make a move at the top.
"The win last week over Missouri. The Mississippi game was tied at 14-all and then they went on a 38-3 run and kind of showed their dominance on offense and defense against a really strong Mississippi offense. With the résumé and everything combined, we thought Georgia was the number one team this week," CFP committee chair Boo Corrigan said on ESPN's broadcast.
With the 2022 Peach Bowl opponents swapped, the committee's top-four teams are now Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan and Florida State, in that order, while Washington and Oregon remain the first two teams on the outside looking in.
| Rank # | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | 10-0 |
| 2 | Ohio State | 10-0 |
| 3 | Michigan | 10-0 |
| 4 | Florida State | 10-0 |
| 5 | Washington | 10-0 |
| 6 | Oregon | 9-1 |
| 7 | Texas | 9-1 |
| 8 | Alabama | 9-1 |
| 9 | Missouri | 8-2 |
| 10 | Louisville | 9-1 |
| 11 | Oregon State | 8-2 |
| 12 | Penn State | 8-2 |
| 13 | Mississippi | 8-2 |
| 14 | Oklahoma | 8-2 |
| 15 | LSU | 7-3 |
| 16 | Iowa | 8-2 |
| 17 | Arizona | 7-3 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 7-3 |
| 19 | Notre Dame | 7-3 |
| 20 | North Carolina | 8-2 |
| 21 | Kansas State | 7-3 |
| 22 | Utah | 7-3 |
| 23 | Oklahoma State | 7-3 |
| 24 | Tulane | 9-1 |
| 25 | Kansas | 7-3 |
Through 10 games in 2023, Ohio State’s marquee victories remain a 17-14 road win at then-No. 9 Notre Dame in Week 4 and a 20-12 home win over then-No. 6 Penn State in Week 8. The Irish were idle over the weekend, while the Nittany Lions suffered a 25-14 loss to No. 3 Michigan at Beaver Stadium.
According to ESPN’s College Football Power Index, Ohio State’s strength of schedule ranks 39th in the FBS after 11 weeks – four spots ahead of Washington, 16 spots ahead of Florida State, 14 spots ahead of Oregon, 26 spots ahead of Michigan and 49 spots ahead of Georgia. The Buckeyes’ unbeaten record and SOS rank the team's strength of record as the best in the sport, while the Huskies, Seminoles, Wolverines and Texas Longhorns round out the top five.
Nevertheless, Georgia’s back-to-back ranked wins over Missouri and Ole Miss were enough to propel the two-time defending champions into the top spot.
This week, Ohio State will welcome Minnesota to Columbus. The Golden Gophers are 5-5 (3-4 Big Ten) and fell to Purdue, 49-30, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana, on Saturday.
Georgia will play its third ranked opponent in a row on Saturday when it plays Tennessee on the road.
On Nov. 25, the Buckeyes will travel to Ann Arbor for a battle with the Wolverines. The last time Ohio State visited the Big House in 2021, the Wolverines secured a 42-27 victory –then their first win over the Buckeyes since 2011. As it stands, the 119th edition of The Game would be a matchup of two top-three teams. The Wolverines will face unranked Maryland at SECU Stadium in College Park this week.
