For the fourth straight week, the Buckeyes find themselves third overall in the AP Poll.
Ohio State failed to realize any movement in the AP Poll despite a 38-7 win over Michigan State last night. Instead, the primetime classic between Alabama and Georgia saw the Crimson Tide vault ahead of both OSU and Texas to achieve the top spot in the eyes of the Associated Press. Alabama did so despite blowing a 23-point lead to UGA in the second half to briefly fall behind the Bulldogs in the final minutes of the game before a dramatic touchdown from freshman receiver Ryan Williams put the reigning SEC champions back ahead for good.
Michigan re-entered the top 10 after Ole Miss and Utah suffered respective upsets to Kentucky and Arizona. Illinois fell five spots after losing to Penn State, but remains ranked at 24th overall. Just ahead of the Fighting Illini, Indiana finally achieved a spot in the polls this season after a strong start to Curt Cignetti's time in Bloomington, climbing to 23rd in the rankings.
BYU saw the most significant move up in the AP Poll of five spots after a road win over Baylor. The Utes' loss at home to the Wildcats resulted in the largest fall by eight ranks. Oklahoma State and Texas A&M dropped out entirely.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALABAMA | 4–0 | 1549 (40) | ▲ 3 |
| 2 | TEXAS | 5–0 | 1525 (19) | ▼ 1 |
| 3 | OHIO STATE | 4–0 | 1445 (4) | – |
| 4 | TENNESSEE | 4–0 | 1356 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 5 | GEORGIA | 3–1 | 1329 (0) | ▼ 3 |
| 6 | OREGON | 4–0 | 1216 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 7 | PENN STATE | 4–0 | 1208 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 8 | MIAMI (FL) | 5–0 | 1170 (0) | ▼ 1 |
| 9 | MISSOURI | 4–0 | 1085 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 10 | MICHIGAN | 4–1 | 913 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 11 | USC | 3–1 | 854 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 12 | OLE MISS | 4–1 | 799 (0) | ▼ 6 |
| 13 | LSU | 4–1 | 757 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 14 | NOTRE DAME | 4–1 | 748 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 15 | CLEMSON | 3–1 | 694 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 16 | IOWA STATE | 4–0 | 656 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 17 | BYU | 5–0 | 549 (0) | ▲ 5 |
| 18 | UTAH | 4–1 | 467 (0) | ▼ 8 |
| 19 | OKLAHOMA | 4–1 | 428 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 20 | KANSAS STATE | 4–1 | 398 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 21 | BOISE STATE | 3–1 | 253 (0) | ▲ 4 |
| 22 | LOUISVILLE | 3–1 | 223 (0) | ▼ 7 |
| 23 | INDIANA | 5–0 | 172 (0) | – |
| 24 | ILLINOIS | 4–1 | 169 (0) | ▼ 5 |
| 25 | UNLV | 4–0 | 122 (0) | – |
Meanwhile, the Coaches Poll reflected similar movement as the Buckeyes held at third overall while witnessing the Crimson Tide climb ahead, although the Longhorns remain the top overall team. Kansas State claimed the greatest upward movement by five spots to 20th overall, while Utah again experienced the most significant dip by falling eight positions out of the top 10 overall schools.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEXAS | 5–0 | 1339 (29) | ▲ 1 |
| 2 | ALABAMA | 4–0 | 1330 (19) | ▲ 2 |
| 3 | OHIO STATE | 4–0 | 1281 (7) | – |
| 4 | TENNESSEE | 4–0 | 1163 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 5 | GEORGIA | 3–1 | 1153 (0) | ▼ 4 |
| 6 | OREGON | 4–0 | 1090 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 7 | PENN STATE | 4–0 | 1062 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 8 | MIAMI (FL) | 5–0 | 981 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 9 | MISSOURI | 4–0 | 948 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 10 | MICHIGAN | 4–1 | 792 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 11 | OLE MISS | 4–1 | 743 (0) | ▼ 6 |
| 12 | LSU | 4–1 | 725 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 13 | NOTRE DAME | 4–1 | 702 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 14 | CLEMSON | 3–1 | 671 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 15 | USC | 3–1 | 660 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 16 | IOWA STATE | 4–0 | 500 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 17 | OKLAHOMA | 4–1 | 470 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 18 | UTAH | 4–1 | 408 (0) | ▼ 8 |
| 19 | BYU | 5–0 | 375 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 20 | KANSAS STATE | 4–1 | 242 (0) | ▲ 5 |
| 21 | TEXAS A&M | 4–1 | 198 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 22 | LOUISVILLE | 3–1 | 197 (0) | ▼ 5 |
| 23 | UNLV | 4–0 | 180 (0) | – |
| 24 | INDIANA | 5–0 | 143 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 25 | ILLINOIS | 4–1 | 122 (0) | ▼ 4 |
The Buckeyes will return to Columbus next Saturday to square off with the Iowa Hawkeyes at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
