Ohio State’s first College Football Playoff ranking of the 2026 season puts the Buckeyes at No. 12, a spot that keeps them in the conversation but outside the current field.
The selection committee slotted Ohio State behind Miami, Georgia, Utah, Indiana, Alabama, Kentucky, Texas, UCLA, BYU, Ole Miss and Notre Dame. The Buckeyes also landed at No. 10 in the Coaches Poll and No. 11 in the AP Poll this week.
Here’s the full top 25 from the committee’s initial release on 2026-10-31: Miami at No. 1, Georgia at No.
2, Utah at No. 3, Indiana at No.
4, Alabama at No. 5, Kentucky at No.
6, Texas at No. 7, UCLA at No.
8, BYU at No. 9, Ole Miss at No.
10, Notre Dame at No. 11 and Ohio State at No. 12.
Tennessee, LSU, Texas Tech, Wake Forest, Houston, Missouri, Iowa, USC, South Carolina, Arizona, Oregon, Florida and Boise State rounded out the rankings from 13 through 25.
At 6-2 through nine weeks, Ohio State has built its resume with wins over Ball State, Kent State, Illinois, No. 19 Iowa, Maryland and No.
4 Indiana. The two setbacks came on the road against No.
7 Texas and No. 20 USC.
If the season ended right now, Ohio State would be left out of the playoff picture, since the highest-ranked Group of Five team receives an automatic berth.
Still, the numbers behind the Buckeyes remain strong. Ohio State is No. 2 in both Bill Connelly’s SP+ and ESPN’s College Football Power Index. The FPI also has the Buckeyes at No. 9 in strength of record and No. 10 in strength of schedule.
There’s still room to move, too. Ohio State’s remaining strength of schedule is No. 24 nationally, with No. 23 Oregon, Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan still ahead on the regular-season slate.
In Other News...
Jeremiah Smith Just Got A Huge Heisman Opening For Ohio State
Jeremiah Smith has spent this season looking every bit like the kind of receiver who can tilt the Heisman conversation, and the numbers back it up. He has 62 catches for 1,067 yards and 13 touchdowns, production that places him among the nations leaders in all three categories and has made him a central reason Ohio States offense has stayed so dangerous.
Now the path in front of Smith may be a little clearer after Miami receiver Malachi Toney suffered a high ankle sprain that required surgery and will keep him out for the rest of the regular season. For Ohio State, the development matters because Smith remains one of the Buckeyes most important weapons as they try to lock down a College Football Playoff spot, and any shift in the national award race only adds more attention to what he does next. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Oregon Matchup Just Got Complicated By Key Injury Changes
The build-up to Ohio States matchup with Oregon has taken on a different look after injuries started reshaping both sides of the field. The Buckeyes and Ducks were already bracing for a high-stakes game, but the latest injury updates have added another layer of uncertainty, with both teams now having to adjust their plans around key personnel changes before kickoff.
For Oregon, the biggest immediate concern is the status of running back Jordon Davison, who is expected to be out week-to-week with a lower-extremity injury. There is at least some encouraging news on the other side of the ball, with wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan probable to return from a foot injury, but the larger question remains how both teams will handle the ripple effects if the quarterback situation shifts again by game day. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Big Ten Path Now Comes Down To Tiebreaker Chaos
Ohio States Big Ten title path is still alive, but it has turned into the kind of standings puzzle that can make a November scoreboard-watcher reach for a calculator. The Buckeyes sit third in the conference, yet they remain in the mix for the championship game if they finish strong and get help from around the league, with the race tightening enough that a three-way tie could become part of the equation.
What makes it messy is how quickly the picture can shift from week to week. A tie involving Ohio State, Indiana and UCLA would send the league into a tiebreaker process built on common opponents and conference winning percentage, and the Buckeyes can still survive one more loss if the right results break their way elsewhere. Lose twice, though, and the margin for error shrinks to the point where Ohio State would need a lot of outside help just to stay in the conversation. [Read more 🡒]