Another wild college football weekend sent the US LBM Coaches poll into more chaos, and Ohio State took one of the biggest hits.
After losing for the third time this season and the second straight week, the Buckeyes slid all the way to No. 20 in the latest rankings. That drop knocks Ohio State out of the top 10 entirely, a spot the Buckeyes usually occupy when these polls come out.
At the top, there’s a new No. 1 after Miami (FL) fell. Georgia now leads the poll, with Utah right behind it at No.
- Notre Dame sits third, UCLA is fourth, and Indiana rounds out the top five.
Miami dropped to No. 6, followed by Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and Texas Tech.
Here’s how the top 10 looks after Week 10:
- Georgia
- Utah
- Notre Dame
- UCLA
- Indiana
- Miami (FL)
- Alabama
- Texas
- Tennessee
- Texas Tech
The full top 25 shows plenty of movement beyond that, but Ohio State’s fall stands out most. The Buckeyes are now 6-3 and sitting at No. 20, one spot behind Oregon and ahead of Arizona.
The rest of the poll shakes out like this: Wake Forest at No. 11, BYU at No.
12, Kentucky at No. 13, USC at No.
14, Iowa at No. 15, Houston at No.
16, Ole Miss at No. 17, Boise State at No.
18, Oregon at No. 19, and Ohio State at No. 20.
Arizona, LSU, SMU, South Carolina and New Mexico close out the rankings.
Ohio State now has three games left to try to steady the season. The Buckeyes host Northwestern, travel to Nebraska, and then close with the rivalry game against Michigan.
In Other News...
Ohio States Oregon Collapse Exposed A Problem Buckeyes Fans Feared
Ohio States loss to Oregon in Columbus had the feel of a game that started with promise and then slipped away in plain sight. The Buckeyes came out strong, but the rest of the afternoon turned into a reminder that early momentum only matters if it can be sustained, and this one quickly exposed some of the same concerns fans have been carrying for a while. Jeremiah Smith was not used nearly enough, and the offense never seemed to fully settle into a rhythm as the game changed around it.
Luke Faheys performance only added to the unease, while the defense looked far removed from the unit Ohio State expected to lean on in a matchup like this. The bigger frustration, though, was the lack of clear adjustment as Oregon kept finding answers and the Buckeyes did not. For a team with playoff ambitions, a home collapse like this does more than count as one bad result - it raises the kind of questions that can linger well beyond a single Saturday. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremiah Smiths Frustration Just Raised A Bigger Ohio State Concern
Jeremiah Smiths frustration was hard to miss in Ohio States loss to Oregon, a defeat that left the Buckeyes staring at a tougher path to the playoff. Even in a game that slipped away 41-28, Smith still produced, finishing with seven catches for 133 yards and a touchdown, which only underscored how much Ohio State leaned on him when the offense needed a spark.
The bigger concern now is what his visible irritation might say about the state of the Buckeyes season and how they handle the fallout from a damaging setback. One analyst even raised the possibility that Smith might not play again this year, though that remains unconfirmed, and for a team trying to steady itself after the Oregon loss, any uncertainty around its top playmaker only adds to the pressure. [Read more 🡒]
Urban Meyer Just Added Fuel To Indianas CFP Debate
Urban Meyer gave the College Football Playoff debate a fresh jolt by questioning how the committee is sorting Ohio State and Indiana. The former Buckeyes coach pointed to the Buckeyes head-to-head win over Indiana and said he did not understand why No. 12 Ohio State sits eight spots behind No. 4 Indiana, especially when the discussion turns to how teams are being judged beyond the loss column.
Meyer also took aim at the committees handling of nonconference scheduling, arguing that Ohio States ranking does not match what it has shown on the field. Indianas case is strong in its own right at 8-1, with wins over Michigan and Nebraska, but Meyer noted the Hoosiers have not beaten a ranked opponent, leaving the playoff conversation with a familiar tension: rsum versus result, and a gap in the rankings that still needs explaining. [Read more 🡒]