Ohio State is back in the thick of the national picture after a chaotic Saturday shook up both major polls.
The Buckeyes climbed to No. 4 in the AP Poll and No. 5 in the Coaches Poll on Sunday, moving up as the top of the rankings got completely rearranged. Previous No.
1 Texas took the biggest hit after losing to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, while Georgia surged into the top spot in both polls after beating then-No. 6 Alabama on the road.
It was a rough day for top-10 teams across the board. No.
10 LSU also went down, losing 35-34 in overtime to Kentucky. That win sent Kentucky flying 11 spots to No. 15 in the AP Poll, the biggest jump in the Top 25.
LSU, meanwhile, dropped 12 places to No. 22 in that ranking, the steepest fall of the week.
The AP top five now reads Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami, Ohio State and Indiana. The Coaches Poll has the same three teams at the top, then Indiana at No. 4 and Ohio State at No. 5.
Ohio State is one of six Big Ten teams in the AP Poll, joined by Indiana at No. 5, UCLA at No.
12, Iowa at No. 17, USC at No. 19 and Northwestern at No.
- Oregon was the big casualty there, falling from No. 13 all the way out after losing to UCLA.
The Coaches Poll also features a strong Big Ten presence, with Indiana, Ohio State, UCLA, USC, Iowa and Oregon all in the Top 25. UCLA was the biggest mover in that poll, jumping 10 spots to No.
- Oregon, after the loss to the Bruins in Eugene, slid 12 spots to No.
For Ohio State, the rankings mean the trip to Bloomington gets even bigger. The Buckeyes will face Indiana on Saturday in a Top-5 matchup, with kickoff set for noon Eastern on Fox.
In Other News...
Michigans Turnover Problem Just Forced A Change They Couldnt Avoid
Michigans turnover trouble has become hard to ignore, and Kyle Whittingham sounded like a coach who knows the margin is no longer a side note. Speaking Monday, he stressed how important it is to win the turnover battle, especially after a season in which Michigan has slipped to a minus-4 turnover margin and watched clean defensive starts get undercut by mistakes on the other side of the ball.
The latest response was a change at punt returner, a move triggered by recent miscues and one the staff could no longer put off. Michigan has lost the turnover margin in four of its past five weeks, and the pattern has lined up too neatly with the losses for anyone around the program to dismiss it as bad luck. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Bye Week Puts Bryce Underwood And The Offense On Notice
Michigans bye week arrived with the offense still searching for answers and the bigger picture looking a lot less comfortable than the program is used to. The Wolverines have fallen well short of recent standards, and with four wins needed in the final seven games just to avoid matching their worst mark since 2014, the pressure is squarely on sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood and offensive coordinator Jason Beck to get things moving in a better direction.
The break does buy the coaching staff some time, and head coach Whittingham is being given that window to sort through the issues and keep building toward a more consistent identity. For Michigan, the week is less about rest than reflection, a chance to step back, make adjustments and figure out whether the offense can start looking like something the rest of the schedule will have to take seriously. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans UCLA Test Suddenly Feels Very Different For One Reason
UCLAs win over Oregon kept the Bruins unbeaten and pushed them deeper into the national conversation, but the bigger news for Michigans coming trip out west is the change under center. Nico Iamaleava is now likely out for the season, and UCLA is expected to turn to Cal Poly transfer Ty Dieffenbach at quarterback as it moves into a brutal stretch that also includes Wisconsin and USC.
For Michigan, the matchup now looks different in a hurry. What had been shaping up as a test against an unbeaten team suddenly comes with a layer of uncertainty, because the Bruins are trying to replace a key piece on the fly while still protecting their perfect record. The Wolverines still have their own goals to chase, but the quarterback situation alone gives this meeting a very different feel than it had just days ago. [Read more 🡒]