Buckeyes slide in AP Poll after Michigan defeat
COLUMBUS — Ohio State’s first loss of the season came at the worst time. The Buckeyes fell to Michigan for the second year in row, which hadn’t happened since 1999-2000, and, in turn, dropped three spots to No. 5 in the AP Poll.
Ohio State had been the second-ranked team in the AP Top 25 for seven weeks in a row. This is the first time the Buckeyes are outside the top three this season.
Last year, Ohio State dropped from No. 2 to No. 7 after losing to a College Football Playoff-bound Michigan team, 42-27, in Ann Arbor. It’s worth noting, though, that the Buckeyes had two losses in 2021 — they also suffered a Week 2 defeat to Oregon.
Because of Ohio State’s 45-23 loss to the Wolverines this year, the Buckeyes are once again missing out on a chance at the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis, meaning that they’ll have to wait and see about their postseason fate.
Tuesday’s CFP rankings will be critical. Where will the Buckeyes fall? And how much help will they need to sneak into the four-team field?
As of now, it appears as if they need USC to lose the Pac-12 Championship to Utah, which did hand the Trojans their lone defeat earlier this season. But, even if that happens, the committee could rank a two-loss Alabama over a one-loss Ohio State team.
If that’s where the committee leans, the Buckeyes would likely need USC and TCU — the undefeated Horned Frogs are playing Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship — to lose next weekend in order to have a shot. Of course, it’s all speculation right now.
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For now, all we have to go off of is the AP Top 25. This week’s biggest winners in the top 10 are Michigan, TCU and USC. Each of those three CFP contenders won, are now heading to their respective league championship games and moved up a place in the poll. Additionally, Penn State and Washington — now No. 8 and No. 9, respectively — both climbed three spots.
Clemson slid to No. 10 after losing to South Carolina, which is now No. 20 after back-to-back top-10 wins.
Lettermen Row has the entire Week 14 AP Top 25 Poll (Nov. 27) below:
- Georgia
- Michigan
- TCU
- USC
- Ohio State
- Alabama
- Tennessee
- Penn State
- Washington
- Clemson
- LSU
- Utah
- Kansas State
- Florida State
- Oregon
- Oregon State
- UCLA
- Tulane
- Notre Dame
- South Carolina
- Texas
- UCF
- UTSA
- North Carolina
- Mississippi State
Counting down
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 364 days
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