College football’s carnage in Week 7 shook up the top of the sport, and Ohio State ended up right in the middle of the debate.
Five teams in the nation’s top 10 went down over the weekend, a mess of results that ranged from tight finishes in evenly matched games to ugly upsets against unranked opponents. Even some winners came out of the weekend looking vulnerable after being pushed into four-quarter games by teams that, on paper, shouldn’t have been hanging around that long.
With that kind of chaos, the AP poll had plenty of room for movement. The toughest call on Stephen Means’ ballot was what to do with the Buckeyes.
Ohio State has two road wins over ranked opponents on its résumé, and it also has a one-point loss. The Buckeyes also went into Indiana and got the win after losing their starting quarterback, which is the kind of result that carries real weight.
Still, with undefeated teams remaining at the top and one of them adding a major résumé win, Means didn’t see a clear path to No. 1.
That left Ohio State at No. 2, with BYU taking the top spot thanks to an unbeaten record that now includes a win over Notre Dame.
Here is Means’ Week 7 AP Top 25 ballot:
- BYU
- Ohio State
- UCLA
- Miami
- Texas Tech
- Notre Dame
- Indiana
- Utah
- Georgia
- Iowa
- Ole Miss
- Wake Forest
- Tennessee
- Kentucky
- Northwestern
- Houston
- SMU
- Boise State
- Arizona
- USC
- Alabama
- Florida
- Texas
- James Madison
- New Mexico
In Other News...
Ohio State Now Faces A Huge Offensive Reset After Indiana
Ohio State left Bloomington with a 19-15 win that snapped Indianas 22-game home unbeaten streak, but the bigger takeaway for the Buckeyes was what happened to Julian Sayin. The quarterback left with an injury and is expected to miss several weeks, which immediately shifts the focus from a gritty road result to how Ohio State manages the offense moving forward.
Luke Fahey is set to start in Sayins place, giving the Buckeyes a fresh look at the games most important position at a critical point in the season. Even with the offense now in flux, Ohio State can point to its defense and special teams as stabilizing forces after the trip to Indiana, but the real question is how quickly the next quarterback can settle in and keep the whole operation on track. [Read more 🡒]
Carnell Tate Is Finally Giving Ohio State Fans A Reason To Watch
Carnell Tate is starting to give Ohio State fans a fresh reason to keep one eye on the NFL scoreboard. The former Buckeyes receiver put together a notable showing for the Tennessee Titans in their first win against the Indianapolis Colts, finishing with six catches for 70 yards and his first NFL touchdown. It was the kind of performance that reminded everyone why he was such an intriguing pro prospect in the first place.
Tate has already shown the range of what his rookie season could look like, following a strong outing against the Baltimore Ravens with a quieter game against the Houston Texans. Even so, he remains near the top of the early award conversation, with Kalshi listing him second in the odds for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. For Ohio State, it is the kind of development worth tracking closely, even if the full answer to just how high his ceiling really is still has time to unfold. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States New Quarterback Just Took An Unexpected Path Here
Luke Fahey arrived in Columbus with the profile of a developmental quarterback, a three-star freshman from California who was expected to work his way in behind the veterans. Instead, the Mission Viejo product has moved himself into the conversation far sooner than anyone likely planned, turning a quiet August into a meaningful opportunity for a player who piled up more than 7,000 passing yards in high school and committed to Ohio State in 2025.
What has stood out inside the program is how quickly Fahey climbed during preseason camp, enough to earn the trust of teammates and coaches and force his way up the depth chart. For Ohio State, the bigger picture now is less about where he started and more about how ready he looks in the moment, with a freshman who was once viewed as a depth piece suddenly carrying real weight in the quarterback room. [Read more 🡒]