Ohio State has finished the year in the top six of the AP Top 25 for the eighth year in a row.
The Buckeyes are ranked sixth in the final AP Top 25 for the 2021 season, which was released early Tuesday morning, behind Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, Cincinnati and Baylor.
The sixth-place finish is the lowest ranking for the Buckeyes since 2016, when they also finished sixth after suffering a 31-0 loss to Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Ohio State finished fifth in the AP poll in 2017, third in both 2018 and 2019 and second in 2020.
The Buckeyes have finished in the top six in all eight seasons of the College Football Playoff era, starting with their first-place finish after winning the national championship in 2014. Ohio State finished fourth in the final AP poll in 2015.
Ohio State is the only school with a current streak of more than two top-six finishes in the AP poll. Alabama has finished in the top six in seven of the last eight years, but finished eighth in 2019.
The Buckeyes also check in at No. 5 in the coaches poll, finishing the season ranked as the highest non-playoff team in the country.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | PREV | CONFERENCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GEORGIA | 14–1 | 1,525 (61) | 3 | SEC |
| 2 | ALABAMA | 13–2 | 1,464 | 1 | SEC |
| 3 | MICHIGAN | 12–2 | 1,361 | 2 | Big Ten |
| 4 | CINCINNATI | 13–1 | 1,349 | 4 | American Athletic |
| 5 | BAYLOR | 12–2 | 1,259 | 6 | Big 12 |
| 6 | OHIO STATE | 11–2 | 1,247 | 7 | Big Ten |
| 7 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 12–2 | 1,177 | 9 | Big 12 |
| 8 | NOTRE DAME | 11–2 | 1,039 | 5 | IA Independents |
| 9 | MICHIGAN STATE | 11–2 | 1,026 | 11 | Big Ten |
| 10 | OKLAHOMA | 11–2 | 966 | 14 | Big 12 |
| 11 | OLE MISS | 10–3 | 926 | 8 | SEC |
| 12 | UTAH | 10–4 | 851 | 10 | Pac-12 |
| 13 | PITTSBURGH | 11–3 | 741 | 13 | ACC |
| 14 | CLEMSON | 10–3 | 538 | 19 | ACC |
| 15 | WAKE FOREST | 11–3 | 533 | 20 | ACC |
| 16 | LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE | 13–1 | 517 | 16 | Sun Belt |
| 17 | HOUSTON | 12–2 | 513 | 21 | American Athletic |
| 18 | KENTUCKY | 10–3 | 446 | 25 | SEC |
| 19 | BRIGHAM YOUNG | 10–3 | 435 | 12 | IA Independents |
| 20 | NORTH CAROLINA STATE | 9–3 | 382 | 18 | ACC |
| 21 | ARKANSAS | 9–4 | 371 | 22 | SEC |
| 22 | OREGON | 10–4 | 364 | 15 | Pac-12 |
| 23 | IOWA | 10–4 | 171 | 17 | Big Ten |
| 24 | UTAH STATE | 11–3 | 163 | – | Mountain West |
| 25 | SAN DIEGO STATE | 12–2 | 137 | – | Mountain West |
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | 1st VOTES | PREV | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GEORGIA | 14–1 | 1550 | 62 | 3 | +2 |
| 2 | ALABAMA | 13–2 | 1488 | – | 1 | -1 |
| 3 | MICHIGAN | 12–2 | 1398 | – | 2 | -1 |
| 4 | CINCINNATI | 13–1 | 1346 | – | 4 | — |
| 5 | OHIO STATE | 11–2 | 1279 | – | 7 | +2 |
| 6 | BAYLOR | 12–2 | 1275 | – | 6 | — |
| 7 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 12–2 | 1197 | – | 9 | +2 |
| 8 | MICHIGAN STATE | 11–2 | 1066 | – | 10 | +2 |
| 9 | NOTRE DAME | 11–2 | 1028 | – | 5 | -4 |
| 10 | OKLAHOMA | 11–2 | 994 | – | 13 | +3 |
| 11 | MISSISSIPPI | 10–3 | 909 | – | 8 | -3 |
| 12 | UTAH | 10–4 | 877 | – | 11 | -1 |
| 13 | PITTSBURGH | 11–3 | 742 | – | 12 | -1 |
| 14 | WAKE FOREST | 11–3 | 609 | – | 19 | +5 |
| 15 | KENTUCKY | 10–3 | 592 | – | 20 | +5 |
| 16 | CLEMSON | 10–3 | 528 | – | 22 | +6 |
| 17 | HOUSTON | 12–2 | 510 | – | 21 | +4 |
| 18 | UL LAFAYETTE | 13–1 | 502 | – | 17 | -1 |
| 19 | NC STATE | 9–3 | 453 | – | 18 | -1 |
| 20 | ARKANSAS | 9–4 | 354 | – | 24 | +4 |
| 21 | OREGON | 10–4 | 336 | – | 15 | -6 |
| 22 | BRIGHAM YOUNG | 10–3 | 284 | – | 14 | -8 |
| 23 | IOWA | 10–4 | 276 | – | 16 | -7 |
| 24 | UTAH STATE | 11–3 | 142 | – | NR | +3 |
| 25 | TEXAS A&M | 8–4 | 133 | – | 23 | -2 |
