Less than a week before the final College Football Playoff Rankings, Ohio State's hopes are still alive.
The Buckeyes are No. 8 in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings ahead of conference championship weekend and less than a week before the final ranking.
With the top-two teams losing this week, the new top four are No. 1 Clemson, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 4 Wisconsin, which the Buckeyes take on in Saturday's Big Ten Championship Game. The next two teams are No. 5 Alabama and No. 6 Georgia.
Five Big Ten teams make up the top 25, with Northwestern at No. 21, Michigan State at 16, Penn State at No. 9, Ohio State at No. 8 and Wisconsin at No. 4.
With a win against No. 4 Wisconsin in Saturday's Big Ten Championship game, Ohio State will be in the conversation for a spot in the top four as the decision will likely come down to the Buckeyes and Alabama after Miami's loss to Pittsburgh on Friday and Auburn's win over the Tide on Saturday.
The selection committee will release its final rankings on Sunday during the College Football Playoff: Top 25 Selection Show beginning at noon.
The full rankings can be seen below:
| Rank | Team | Conference | Record | Key Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clemson | ACC | 11-1 | ACC CHAMPIONSHIP vs MIAMI (12/2) |
| 2 | Auburn | SEC | 10-2 | SEC CHAMPIONSHIP vs GEORGIA (12/2) |
| 3 | Oklahoma | Big 12 | 11-1 | BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP vs TCU (12/2) |
| 4 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | 12-0 | BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP vs OHIO STATE (12/2) |
| 5 | Alabama | SEC | 11-1 | |
| 6 | Georgia | SEC | 11-1 | SEC CHAMPIONSHIP vs AUBURN (12/2) |
| 7 | Miami | ACC | 10-1 | ACC CHAMPIONSHIP vs CLEMSON (12/2) |
| 8 | Ohio State | Big Ten | 10-2 | BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP vs WISCONSIN (12/2) |
| 9 | Penn State | Big Ten | 10-2 | |
| 10 | Southern California | Pac-12 | 10-2 | PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP vs STANFORD (12/1) |
| 11 | TCU | Big 12 | 10-2 | BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP vs OKLAHOMA (12/2) |
| 12 | Stanford | Pac-12 | 9-3 | PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP vs USC (12/1) |
| 13 | Washington | Pac-12 | 10-2 | |
| 14 | Central Florida | AAC | 11-0 | AAC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME vs MEMPHIS (12/2) |
| 15 | Notre Dame | Independent | 9-3 | |
| 16 | Michigan State | Big Ten | 9-3 | |
| 17 | LSU | SEC | 9-3 | |
| 18 | Washington State | Pac-12 | 9-3 | |
| 19 | Oklahoma State University | Big 12 | 9-3 | |
| 20 | University of Memphis | AAC | 10-1 | AAC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME vs CENTRAL FLORIDA (12/2) |
| 21 | Northwestern University | Big Ten | 9-3 | |
| 22 | Virginia Tech | ACC | 9-3 | |
| 23 | Mississippi State University | SEC | 8-4 | |
| 24 | North Carolina State University | ACC | 8-4 | |
| 25 | Fresno State | Mountain West | 9-3 |
