Ohio State’s 59-3 demolition of Kent State didn’t buy the Buckeyes any goodwill with AP voters. In the latest poll, they actually slid one spot, moving from No. 6 to No. 7 as week three arrives.
That drop comes after the Buckeyes entered week two as the No. 6 team in the country. Now they’re sitting behind Miami and Alabama, two undefeated teams clustered near the top of the rankings.
Texas remains the clear No. 1 after its win over Ohio State, and that spot should hold for now until Georgia’s schedule starts to tighten up. The Bulldogs picked up their first quality win over Arkansas this week, and they’re about to enter a brutal stretch with five tough games against some of the SEC’s best teams.
Notre Dame looks set to hover around the top five all season, while Ole Miss also has the look of a real contender after what it put together Saturday night against LSU.
Ohio State, meanwhile, is about to get a chance to make noise in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes open conference action this week against Illinois, then face a ranked Iowa team that has been playing well.
And the biggest test is still ahead. In three weeks, Ohio State gets Indiana, followed in four weeks by USC and Oregon.
There’s no path back to the top of the poll unless teams ahead of the Buckeyes stumble, and that’s just fine. The schedule still gives Ohio State plenty of opportunities to stay in the conversation for a postseason run.
The bigger picture across the sport is clear: the top 25 is loaded with good teams, and there’s real parity at work. The heavyweights are strong, but there’s enough depth around the country to make this season a lot less predictable.
For now, Ohio State is No. 7. Whether that matters much at this point is another question entirely.
In Other News...
Ohio States Easy Win Couldnt Quiet One Big Concern
Ohio State handled Kent State 59-3 and put the game away early, taking a 35-0 lead into halftime and never letting the outcome feel in doubt. The Buckeyes still found enough balance to lean on the run, finishing with 145 rushing yards on 38 attempts, with Bo Jackson leading the way with 73 yards and a touchdown.
Even in a blowout, though, the ground game remains a point worth watching. Ohio States rushing offense is still inconsistent overall, sitting 79th nationally at just under 159 yards per game, and that leaves a gap between what this roster can be and what it has shown so far. The schedule will get less forgiving from here, and the Buckeyes will need more than a comfortable win to answer that concern. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Got A Clear Warning About Illinois Saturday
Illinois followed its loss to Duke with a much cleaner performance against Southern Illinois, and the part that should have Ohio State paying attention is how much more settled the Illini looked at the line of scrimmage. The offensive line showed progress, the run defense was sturdier, and the overall operation came across as a team that had already made some useful corrections before the matchup in Columbus.
Katin Houser also gave Illinois a steadier passing game by spreading the ball around, which matters because it hints at a more functional offense than the one that stumbled a week earlier. The defense, meanwhile, flashed enough improvement against the run to suggest this is not a team the Buckeyes can afford to overlook, even if the bigger question still hangs over whether those adjustments travel against a much faster and more talented opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Fans Got A Big Noon Reminder Nobody Wanted
A rout should have sounded like a showcase, but Ohio States 59-3 win over Kent State came with a broadcast that drew as much attention as the score. FOX Sports announcer Gus Johnson delivered the game in a flat, muted tone, and he also made a factual mistake while discussing a players touchdown history, a rough combination in a matchup that was already struggling to hold viewers attention.
The bigger issue is one college football keeps circling back to every fall: games like this are increasingly hard to sell, even for a blueblood with a massive fan base. Ohio State can only do so much when the opponent is overmatched, and the broadcast only amplified the sense that fans, and maybe networks, would rather see a more competitive nonconference slate than another predictable Saturday afternoon tune-up. [Read more 🡒]