Ohio State sits two spots outside the top four in the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings.
After Ohio State's 30-24 loss to Michigan in Ann Arbor, the Buckeyes are now the sixth-best team in college football in the eyes of the CFP committee behind Georgia, Michigan, Washington, Florida State and Oregon.
| Rank # | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | 12-0 |
| 2 | Michigan | 12-0 |
| 3 | Washington | 12-0 |
| 4 | Florida State | 12-0 |
| 5 | Oregon | 11-1 |
| 6 | Ohio State | 11-1 |
| 7 | Texas | 11-1 |
| 8 | Alabama | 11-1 |
| 9 | Missouri | 10-2 |
| 10 | Penn State | 10-2 |
| 11 | Mississippi | 10-2 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | 10-2 |
| 13 | LSU | 9-3 |
| 14 | Louisville | 10-2 |
| 15 | Arizona | 9-3 |
| 16 | Iowa | 10-2 |
| 17 | Notre Dame | 9-3 |
| 18 | Oklahoma State | 9-3 |
| 19 | NC State | 9-3 |
| 20 | Oregon State | 8-4 |
| 21 | Tennessee | 8-4 |
| 22 | Tulane | 11-1 |
| 23 | Clemson | 8-4 |
| 24 | Liberty | 12-0 |
| 25 | Kansas State | 8-4 |
It’s now clear Ohio State, the only team in the top eight that isn’t playing for a conference championship this weekend, will need at least two teams in front of it to lose this weekend to have a shot at making the CFP. At least one team will, as Washington and Oregon will play each other in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday. The Buckeyes are also at risk of being jumped by Texas or Alabama if either of those teams win their conference title games on Saturday, while Ohio State likely wouldn’t jump Georgia or Michigan with a loss, so the Buckeyes likely need all of Florida State, Texas and Alabama to lose to have a realistic shot at finishing in the top four on Sunday.
Ohio State has one of the best résumés in college football, with a 14-13 road win over Notre Dame and a 20-12 home win over Penn State. However, the Buckeyes now have a blemish with their six-point loss at Michigan, who checked in at No. 2 as one of four undefeated Power Five teams left in college football, along with Georgia, Washington and Florida State.
For now, Ohio State will be in a holding pattern as it waits to find out if it can catch enough breaks to sneak into the College Football Playoff – as it did last season with USC's loss to Utah in the Pac-12 championship – or whether it will finish its season in a non-playoff New Year's Six bowl instead.
