Ohio State’s path got a lot tighter after the USC loss, and Joel Klatt’s latest rankings show just how far that stumble pushed the Buckeyes back.
Nine weeks into the college football season, Ohio State is sitting in a precarious place for both the Big Ten race and the College Football Playoff picture. The Buckeyes have beaten Indiana and Iowa on the road, but the loss to USC last week left little margin for error. The CFP committee has Ohio State at No. 12, and the Buckeyes now head toward Saturday’s game against Oregon needing things to go right the rest of the way.
Klatt had Ohio State in his top five all season before dropping the Buckeyes after the loss to the Trojans. In his latest top 10, Ohio State landed at No. 9.
At the top, Klatt put Miami at No. 1, followed by Georgia at No. 2 and Indiana at No. 3.
Notre Dame checked in at No. 4, with UCLA at No. 5, Utah at No.
6, Texas at No. 7, Kentucky at No.
8, Ohio State at No. 9 and Alabama at No. 10.
Alabama’s placement is lower than the CFP committee’s, which has the Crimson Tide at No. 5 despite two losses in their last three games, including a heavy defeat to Tennessee. Klatt’s ranking reflects the inconsistency under new head coach Kalen DeBoer.
Ohio State’s spot at No. 9 came with the clearest disagreement with the committee. The Buckeyes’ resume includes the win at No.
4 Indiana and a road win at ranked Iowa, while their two losses came against ranked teams on the road in Texas and USC. Klatt’s view was that the committee leaned too hard on the USC result and didn’t give enough weight to the full body of work.
Kentucky came in at No. 8 after a one-loss start, though that defeat was a lopsided one against Alabama. The Wildcats’ best win so far is a one-point victory over LSU, and three of their next four games are against ranked opponents, beginning this week at Tennessee.
Texas landed at No. 7, with Klatt pointing to the Longhorns’ inconsistency but also their ceiling. The losses to Florida and Oklahoma are offset by wins over Ohio State and Ole Miss, and Arch Manning remains central to how far Texas can go.
Utah was slotted at No. 6 as an undefeated team that may not be getting enough credit. The Utes survived a close game against Colorado and have handled the rest of their schedule more comfortably, though the strength of schedule has been a concern. Saturday’s game against BYU looms large.
UCLA came in at No. 5 despite being unbeaten, a spot Klatt seemed hesitant to give the Bruins because of the lack of a quality win. Their best chance for a ranked victory may not come until the end of the season against USC, if it comes at all.
Notre Dame followed at No. 4.
Klatt has not been especially high on the Irish all season, but with the chaos around them, the ranking fits for now. A loss to Miami on Saturday could be a major setback, especially with Notre Dame already sitting at No. 11 in the CFP rankings.
Indiana stayed at No. 3 even though it has not looked like the same team from last season. The Hoosiers have been living on the edge in recent weeks, but they keep finding ways to win.
The defense has been the strength, while the offense still needs to improve. USC on Saturday and possibly the Big Ten Championship game are the biggest remaining chances to make a statement.
Georgia was No. 2, with Klatt calling the Bulldogs one of the most complete teams in the country. Their only loss came against Auburn, and they have already stacked up several ranked wins. Gunner Stockton and a solid defense have kept Georgia rolling.
Miami held the top spot. Klatt acknowledged flaws on defense, but the Hurricanes’ undefeated record and offensive firepower kept them at No.
- Miami heads to Notre Dame on Saturday, and it will do so without superstar receiver Malachi Toney, who is out for the rest of the regular season with an ankle injury.
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