Week 6 of the 2024 college football season could be described in one word: chaotic.
Five teams in the top 11 of the AP Poll took shocking losses, with top-ranked Alabama, No. 4 Tennessee, No. 9 Missouri, No. 10 Michigan and No. 11 USC all falling on Saturday. While top-tier teams around the country dropped like flies, Ohio State took care of business with a 35-7 victory over visiting Iowa — putting the Buckeyes in position to reclaim one of the top two spots in both polls.
As the Buckeyes rose in both polls, so did their next foe: Oregon. The Ducks landed in the top three in the AP and Coaches Poll after beating Michigan State 31-10 on Friday, setting up a top-three clash on Saturday in Eugene, Ore.
The Buckeyes secured the No. 2 spot in the AP Poll, trailing only Texas — which enjoyed a bye week — while No. 3 Oregon, No. 4 Penn State and No. 5 Georgia rounded out the top five. It’s the first time the Big Ten has ever had three teams in the top four of the AP poll.
Some B1G history #B1GStats x #B1GFootball pic.twitter.com/WawdCORiUt
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 6, 2024
The Big Ten is also represented in the AP Top 25 by No. 18 Indiana, No. 23 Illinois and No. 24 Michigan — who endured the largest fall in the poll among teams still ranked in the top 25, dropping 14 spots after its 27-17 loss to Washington.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEXAS | 5–0 | 1516 (52) | ▲ 1 |
| 2 | OHIO STATE | 5–0 | 1473 (9) | ▲ 1 |
| 3 | OREGON | 5–0 | 1348 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 4 | PENN STATE | 5–0 | 1305 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 5 | GEORGIA | 4–1 | 1299 (0) | – |
| 6 | MIAMI (FL) | 6–0 | 1187 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 7 | ALABAMA | 4–1 | 1182 (0) | ▼ 6 |
| 8 | TENNESSEE | 4–1 | 1001 (0) | ▼ 4 |
| 9 | OLE MISS | 5–1 | 978 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 10 | CLEMSON | 4–1 | 861 (0) | ▲ 5 |
| 11 | IOWA STATE | 5–0 | 853 (0) | ▲ 5 |
| 11 | NOTRE DAME | 4–1 | 853 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 13 | LSU | 4–1 | 827 (0) | – |
| 14 | BYU | 5–0 | 753 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 15 | TEXAS A&M | 5–1 | 702 (0) | ▲ 10 |
| 16 | UTAH | 4–1 | 473 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 17 | BOISE STATE | 4–1 | 463 (0) | ▲ 4 |
| 18 | KANSAS STATE | 4–1 | 459 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 18 | INDIANA | 6–0 | 459 (0) | ▲ 5 |
| 18 | OKLAHOMA | 4–1 | 459 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 21 | MISSOURI | 4–1 | 352 (0) | ▼ 12 |
| 22 | PITTSBURGH | 5–0 | 196 (0) | – |
| 23 | ILLINOIS | 4–1 | 182 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 24 | MICHIGAN | 4–2 | 170 (0) | ▼ 14 |
| 25 | SMU | 5–1 | 165 (0) | – |
Ohio State is similarly placed in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, behind Texas atop the rankings, with No. 3 Oregon, No. 4 Georgia and No. 5 Penn State joining them in the top five. No. 20 Indiana, No. 21 Michigan and No. 23 Illinois are the other Big Ten teams to land in the Coaches Poll.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEXAS | 5–0 | 1364 (44) | – |
| 2 | OHIO STATE | 5–0 | 1330 (11) | ▲ 1 |
| 3 | OREGON | 5–0 | 1215 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 4 | GEORGIA | 4–1 | 1174 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 5 | PENN STATE | 5–0 | 1163 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 6 | MIAMI (FL) | 6–0 | 1085 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 7 | ALABAMA | 4–1 | 1035 (0) | ▼ 5 |
| 8 | OLE MISS | 5–1 | 935 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 9 | TENNESSEE | 4–1 | 856 (0) | ▼ 5 |
| 10 | LSU | 4–1 | 839 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 11 | CLEMSON | 4–1 | 818 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 12 | NOTRE DAME | 4–1 | 807 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 13 | IOWA STATE | 5–0 | 695 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 14 | TEXAS A&M | 5–1 | 564 (0) | ▲ 7 |
| 15 | BYU | 5–0 | 549 (0) | ▲ 4 |
| 16 | OKLAHOMA | 4–1 | 541 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 17 | UTAH | 4–1 | 479 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 18 | MISSOURI | 4–1 | 473 (0) | ▼ 9 |
| 19 | KANSAS STATE | 4–1 | 360 (0) | ▲ 1 |
| 20 | INDIANA | 6–0 | 358 (0) | ▲ 4 |
| 21 | MICHIGAN | 4–2 | 224 (0) | ▼ 11 |
| 22 | BOISE STATE | 4–1 | 213 (0) | ▲ 4 |
| 23 | ILLINOIS | 4–1 | 179 (0) | ▲ 2 |
| 24 | PITTSBURGH | 5–0 | 170 (0) | ▲ 3 |
| 25 | SMU | 5–1 | 123 (0) | ▲ 10 |
The battle between Ohio State and Oregon will kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and will be televised on NBC.
