Ohio State hasn’t beaten Michigan since 2019, and to end that streak, Ryan Day and his team must defeat the No. 15 Wolverines in Ann Arbor.
The Buckeyes ranked in the College Football Playoff rankings for the fourth consecutive week on Tuesday. The committee bumped Michigan to No. 15 after Georgia Tech and USC lost to Pitt and Oregon.
Ohio State is ranked ahead of Indiana, Texas A&M, Georgia, and Texas Tech in the top five, followed by Oregon, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Alabama, BYU and Miami to round out the top 12.
| Rank | Team | Record | Conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 OHIO STATE
|
11-0 | Big Ten |
| 2 |
 INDIANA
|
11-0 | Big Ten |
| 3 |
 TEXAS A&M
|
11-0 | SEC |
| 4 |
 GEORGIA
|
10-1 | SEC |
| 5 |
 TEXAS TECH
|
10-1 | Big 12 |
| 6 |
 OREGON
|
10-1 | Big Ten |
| 7 |
 OLE MISS
|
10-1 | SEC |
| 8 |
 OKLAHOMA
|
9-2 | SEC |
| 9 |
 NOTRE DAME
|
9-2 | FBS Independents |
| 10 |
 UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
|
9-2 | SEC |
| 11 |
 BYU
|
10-1 | Big 12 |
| 12 |
 MIAMI (FL)
|
9-2 | ACC |
| 13 |
 UTAH
|
9-2 | Big 12 |
| 14 |
 VANDERBILT
|
9-2 | SEC |
| 15 |
 MICHIGAN
|
9-2 | Big Ten |
| 16 |
 TEXAS
|
8-3 | SEC |
| 17 |
 USC
|
8-3 | Big Ten |
| 18 |
 VIRGINIA
|
9-2 | ACC |
| 19 |
 TENNESSEE
|
8-3 | SEC |
| 20 |
 ARIZONA STATE
|
8-3 | Big 12 |
| 21 |
 SMU
|
8-3 | ACC |
| 22 |
 PITTSBURGH
|
8-3 | ACC |
| 23 |
 GEORGIA TECH
|
9-2 | ACC |
| 24 |
 TULANE
|
9-2 | American Athletic |
| 25 |
 ARIZONA
|
8-3 | Big 12 |
If the committee set the field on Tuesday, Ohio State would face either the Sooners or the Fighting Irish in the quarterfinals.
The CFP bracket projection ahead of Rivalry Week
— ESPN (@espn) November 26, 2025
Which of these teams might not be here by the final bracket? pic.twitter.com/28F7aFYXOP
The Buckeyes are 11-0 through 13 weeks of the 2025 season. They opened with a 14-7 win over No. 16 Texas, then recorded victories over Grambling State, Ohio, Washington, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA and Rutgers, the last of which was a 42-9 beatdown on Senior Day.
In addition to the CFP, Ohio State is No. 1 in both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll, as well as in Bill Connelly's SP+ and ESPN's College Football Power Index. According to ESPN, the Buckeyes have the No. 3 strength of record behind Texas A&M and Indiana.
If Ohio State beats Michigan on Saturday, the Buckeyes would advance to the Big Ten Championship Game for the first time since 2020. They would face Indiana in Indianapolis unless Purdue pulls off an upset this weekend. The Hoosiers are 28.5-point favorites against the Boilermakers.
