Ohio State’s fall in the national polls became official on Sunday. The Buckeyes dropped to No. 21 in the Associated Press Top 25 — their lowest ranking since 2014 — after a second straight loss, Field Level Media reported, and they fell to No. 20 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
The slide follows Saturday’s 41-28 home loss to Oregon, a game Ohio State led 14-0 before the Ducks scored 38 straight points. At 6-3, the Buckeyes are, in Field Level Media’s assessment, on the verge of College Football Playoff elimination, trying to find a winning formula without injured quarterback Julian Sayin.
Georgia (8-1) took over the top spot in the AP poll after routing Ole Miss 42-7, Field Level Media reported. Utah (9-0) is No. 2, Notre Dame (8-1) No. 3, UCLA (9-0) No. 4 and Miami (8-1) No. 5 after its first loss, a 31-24 defeat against Notre Dame. Indiana, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and Texas Tech round out the top 10.
Oregon was the week’s other big mover, jumping from unranked to No. 18 in the AP poll on the strength of its win in Columbus, Field Level Media reported. The Columbus Dispatch reported Ohio State received just 398 points in the Coaches Poll after starting the season ranked No. 1 by both coaches and media.
The historical comparison offers Buckeye fans one thin thread of comfort: the 2014 Ohio State team bottomed out at No. 23 in September after a loss to Virginia Tech, then rallied to win the College Football Playoff national championship, Field Level Media noted. This year’s team, however, has three losses before mid-November — a position no playoff-era champion has recovered from.
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Indiana (8-1) sits at No. 6 in the AP poll, Southern California at No. 15 and Iowa at No. 16, with Oregon at No. 18 — meaning four conference teams now sit ahead of the Buckeyes, whose preseason No. 1 billing in both polls is long gone, Field Level Media and the Columbus Dispatch reported.
What happens next: Ohio State hosts Northwestern next, then travels to Nebraska before the season-ending rivalry game against Michigan on November 28. The next College Football Playoff rankings arrive Tuesday, and the Buckeyes’ place in them will show whether any playoff path remains at all.
Photo: Lectrician2, CC BY-SA