The Buckeyes climbed in the rankings following their 34-10 win over Michigan State, moving up to No. 3 in the AP Poll – tied with Georgia – and No. 4 in the Coaches Poll.
In the AP Poll, Ohio State gained enough ground to tie Georgia for the No. 3 spot.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | PREV | CONFERENCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALABAMA | 5–0 | 1,503 | 1 | SEC |
| 2 | CLEMSON | 5–0 | 1,433 | 2 | ACC |
| 3 | GEORGIA | 5–0 | 1,393 | 3 | SEC |
| 3 | OHIO STATE | 6–0 | 1,393 | 4 | Big Ten |
| 5 | LSU | 5–0 | 1,352 | 5 | SEC |
| 6 | OKLAHOMA | 5–0 | 1,268 | 6 | Big 12 |
| 7 | FLORIDA | 6–0 | 1,163 | 10 | SEC |
| 8 | WISCONSIN | 5–0 | 1,105 | 8 | Big Ten |
| 9 | NOTRE DAME | 4–1 | 1,046 | 9 | IA Independents |
| 10 | PENN STATE | 5–0 | 958 | 12 | Big Ten |
| 11 | TEXAS | 4–1 | 947 | 11 | Big 12 |
| 12 | AUBURN | 5–1 | 920 | 7 | SEC |
| 13 | OREGON | 4–1 | 828 | 13 | Pac-12 |
| 14 | BOISE STATE | 5–0 | 654 | 16 | Mountain West |
| 15 | UTAH | 4–1 | 624 | 17 | Pac-12 |
| 16 | MICHIGAN | 4–1 | 618 | 19 | Big Ten |
| 17 | IOWA | 4–1 | 454 | 14 | Big Ten |
| 18 | ARIZONA STATE | 4–1 | 388 | 20 | Pac-12 |
| 19 | WAKE FOREST | 5–0 | 380 | 22 | ACC |
| 20 | VIRGINIA | 4–1 | 353 | 23 | ACC |
| 21 | SMU | 6–0 | 285 | 24 | American Athletic |
| 22 | BAYLOR | 5–0 | 260 | – | Big 12 |
| 23 | MEMPHIS | 5–0 | 189 | – | American Athletic |
| 24 | TEXAS A&M | 3–2 | 165 | 25 | SEC |
| 25 | CINCINNATI | 4–1 | 118 | – | American Athletic |
In the coaches poll, the Buckeyes moved up to No. 4, jumping Oklahoma after the top-25 win over the Spartans.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | 1st VOTES | PREV | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALABAMA | 5–0 | 1602 | 42 | 1 | — |
| 2 | CLEMSON | 5–0 | 1531 | 20 | 2 | — |
| 3 | GEORGIA | 5–0 | 1459 | – | 3 | — |
| 4 | OHIO STATE | 6–0 | 1422 | 3 | 5 | +1 |
| 5 | OKLAHOMA | 5–0 | 1378 | – | 4 | -1 |
| 6 | LSU | 5–0 | 1364 | – | 6 | — |
| 7 | FLORIDA | 6–0 | 1218 | – | 8 | +1 |
| 8 | WISCONSIN | 5–0 | 1164 | – | 9 | +1 |
| 9 | PENN STATE | 5–0 | 1051 | – | 11 | +2 |
| 10 | NOTRE DAME | 4–1 | 1033 | – | 10 | — |
| 11 | TEXAS | 4–1 | 971 | – | 12 | +1 |
| 12 | AUBURN | 5–1 | 929 | – | 7 | -5 |
| 13 | OREGON | 4–1 | 866 | – | 13 | — |
| 14 | BOISE STATE | 5–0 | 732 | – | 15 | +1 |
| 15 | UTAH | 4–1 | 655 | – | 17 | +2 |
| 16 | MICHIGAN | 4–1 | 648 | – | 18 | +2 |
| 17 | WAKE FOREST | 5–0 | 498 | – | 20 | +3 |
| 18 | IOWA | 4–1 | 441 | – | 14 | -4 |
| 19 | VIRGINIA | 4–1 | 345 | – | 22 | +3 |
| 20 | MEMPHIS | 5–0 | 318 | – | 23 | +3 |
| 21 | TEXAS A&M | 3–2 | 306 | – | 21 | — |
| 22 | SOUTHERN METHODIST | 6–0 | 246 | – | NR | +5 |
| 23 | BAYLOR | 5–0 | 234 | – | NR | +7 |
| 24 | ARIZONA STATE | 4–1 | 228 | – | NR | +4 |
| 25 | MINNESOTA | 5–0 | 131 | – | NR | +5 |
The Big Ten has five teams ranked in the coaches poll – No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 9 Penn State, No. 16 Michigan, No. 18 Iowa and No. 25 Minnesota – with the Golden Gophers joining the rankings and Michigan State falling from the top-25.
Of those five ranked teams, Ohio State has three remaining on their regular season schedule.
