It was expected that the Buckeyes would climb in this week's USA Today Coaches Poll, but the question was by exactly how much? Saturday was the most chaotic day of the entire season as three of the nation's top-four teams went down.
Ohio State now checks in at No. 2 following the 62-3 routing of the Terrapins. Last week the Buckeyes found themselves in the five spot. Alabama holds steady as the nation's No. 1 after handling Mississippi State. The Louisville Cardinals jumped up three spots to the No. 3 hole.
After falling to the Hawkeyes, Jim Harbaugh's Wolverines dropped just one spot to No. 4. The Clemson Tigers fell to No. 5 after their home loss to Pittsburgh and the Huskies dropped to No. 7 after failing to take care of business against the Trojans.
USC was the week's biggest riser, jumping seven spots up to No. 19. The Tarheels fell eleven spots all the way down to No. 24 after being upset by their rival Blue Devils.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | 1st VOTES | PREV | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALABAMA | 10-0 | 1575 | 63 | 1 | – |
| 2 | OHIO STATE | 9-1 | 1495 | – | 5 | +3 |
| 3 | LOUISVILLE | 9-1 | 1418 | – | 6 | +3 |
| 4 | MICHIGAN | 9-1 | 1332 | – | 3 | -1 |
| 5 | CLEMSON | 9-1 | 1318 | – | 2 | -3 |
| 6 | WISCONSIN | 8-2 | 1231 | – | 7 | +1 |
| 7 | WASHINGTON | 9-1 | 1190 | – | 4 | -3 |
| 8 | OKLAHOMA | 8-2 | 1147 | – | 9 | +1 |
| 9 | WEST VIRGINIA | 8-1 | 994 | – | 10 | +1 |
| 10 | PENN STATE | 8-2 | 923 | – | 14 | +4 |
| 11 | UTAH | 8-2 | 909 | – | 12 | +1 |
| 12 | COLORADO | 8-2 | 861 | – | 15 | +3 |
| 13 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 8-2 | 745 | – | 17 | +4 |
| 14 | LOUISIANA STATE | 6-3 | 572 | – | 19 | +5 |
| 15 | FLORIDA STATE | 7-3 | 559 | – | 18 | +3 |
| 16 | AUBURN | 7-3 | 542 | – | 8 | -8 |
| 17 | NEBRASKA | 8-2 | 541 | – | 20 | +3 |
| 18 | FLORIDA | 7-2 | 538 | – | 16 | -2 |
| 19 | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA | 7-3 | 473 | – | 26 | +7 |
| 20 | WASHINGTON STATE | 8-2 | 438 | – | 23 | +3 |
| 21 | WESTERN MICHIGAN | 10-0 | 431 | – | 21 | – |
| 22 | TEXAS A&M | 7-3 | 396 | – | 11 | -11 |
| 23 | BOISE STATE | 9-1 | 355 | – | 24 | +1 |
| 24 | NORTH CAROLINA | 7-3 | 114 | – | 13 | -11 |
| 25 | SAN DIEGO STATE | 9-1 | 112 | – | 27 | +2 |
