According to the AP, there's a new big dog in the Big Ten to close out October.
After a close win over Penn State last night amid a sea of scarlet, Ohio State held in the Coaches poll this week to remain fifth overall ahead of the first College Football Playoff rankings due Tuesday, but fell behind Michigan State in the AP.
This is the third straight week in the Coaches poll the Buckeyes have been ranked No. 5, but it is also the fourth time Ohio State has fallen in the AP this season. The last time was Week 5 following the team's win over Akron.
Michigan State's somewhat surprising surpassing of Ohio State is the result of its win over Michigan in East Lansing yesterday. The Buckeyes and Spartans will meet in less than three weeks, which will yield yet another top-10 matchup for the Big Ten this season assuming each school can retain its ranking through November. Michigan dropped to 9th in the AP Poll and 10th in the coaches poll.
View each of the top 25 polls below:
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | 1st VOTES | PREV | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GEORGIA | 8–0 | 1600 | 64 | 1 | — |
| 2 | CINCINNATI | 8–0 | 1460 | – | 2 | — |
| 3 | ALABAMA | 7–1 | 1453 | – | 3 | — |
| 4 | OKLAHOMA | 9–0 | 1423 | – | 4 | — |
| 5 | OHIO STATE | 7–1 | 1336 | – | 5 | — |
| 6 | MICHIGAN STATE | 8–0 | 1325 | – | 7 | +1 |
| 7 | OREGON | 7–1 | 1198 | – | 8 | +1 |
| 8 | NOTRE DAME | 7–1 | 1095 | – | 11 | +3 |
| 9 | WAKE FOREST | 8–0 | 1051 | – | 13 | +4 |
| 10 | MICHIGAN | 7–1 | 1050 | – | 6 | -4 |
| 11 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 7–1 | 922 | – | 15 | +4 |
| 12 | TEXAS A&M | 6–2 | 910 | – | 14 | +2 |
| 13 | BAYLOR | 7–1 | 815 | – | 18 | +5 |
| 14 | AUBURN | 6–2 | 802 | – | 21 | +7 |
| 15 | MISSISSIPPI | 6–2 | 680 | – | 9 | -6 |
| 16 | IOWA | 6–2 | 512 | – | 10 | -6 |
| 17 | KENTUCKY | 6–2 | 497 | – | 12 | -5 |
| 18 | TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO | 8–0 | 401 | – | 22 | +4 |
| 19 | HOUSTON | 7–1 | 349 | – | NR | +10 |
| 20 | BRIGHAM YOUNG | 7–2 | 310 | – | NR | +6 |
| 21 | COASTAL CAROLINA | 7–1 | 301 | – | 24 | +3 |
| 22 | NC STATE | 6–2 | 265 | – | 25 | +3 |
| 23 | PENN STATE | 5–3 | 215 | – | 17 | -6 |
| 24 | SOUTHERN METHODIST | 7–1 | 192 | – | 16 | -8 |
| 25 | PITTSBURGH | 6–2 | 162 | – | 19 | -6 |
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | PREV | CONFERENCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GEORGIA | 8–0 | 1,575 (63) | 1 | SEC |
| 2 | CINCINNATI | 8–0 | 1,455 | 2 | American Athletic |
| 3 | ALABAMA | 7–1 | 1,413 | 3 | SEC |
| 4 | OKLAHOMA | 9–0 | 1,382 | 4 | Big 12 |
| 5 | MICHIGAN STATE | 8–0 | 1,340 | 8 | Big Ten |
| 6 | OHIO STATE | 7–1 | 1,296 | 5 | Big Ten |
| 7 | OREGON | 7–1 | 1,233 | 7 | Pac-12 |
| 8 | NOTRE DAME | 7–1 | 1,067 | 11 | IA Independents |
| 9 | MICHIGAN | 7–1 | 1,048 | 6 | Big Ten |
| 10 | WAKE FOREST | 8–0 | 1,025 | 13 | ACC |
| 11 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 7–1 | 915 | 15 | Big 12 |
| 12 | AUBURN | 6–2 | 853 | 18 | SEC |
| 13 | TEXAS A&M | 6–2 | 847 | 14 | SEC |
| 14 | BAYLOR | 7–1 | 833 | 16 | Big 12 |
| 15 | OLE MISS | 6–2 | 678 | 10 | SEC |
| 16 | UTSA | 8–0 | 460 | 23 | Conference USA |
| 17 | BRIGHAM YOUNG | 7–2 | 450 | 25 | IA Independents |
| 18 | KENTUCKY | 6–2 | 409 | 12 | SEC |
| 19 | IOWA | 6–2 | 342 | 9 | Big Ten |
| 20 | HOUSTON | 7–1 | 338 | – | American Athletic |
| 21 | COASTAL CAROLINA | 7–1 | 237 | 24 | Sun Belt |
| 22 | PENN STATE | 5–3 | 182 | 20 | Big Ten |
| 23 | SMU | 7–1 | 176 | 19 | American Athletic |
| 24 | LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE | 7–1 | 161 | – | Sun Belt |
| 25 | FRESNO STATE | 7–2 | 151 | – | Mountain West |
