Ohio State’s Week 10 stumble has the Buckeyes sliding into ugly territory, and the picture only gets worse from there. The 41-28 loss to Oregon at the “Shoe” left OSU with three losses, and without quarterback Julian Sayin under center, the outlook doesn’t exactly brighten.
That defeat also makes a College Football Playoff push look almost impossible, especially with the selection committee giving a favorable hand to several two- and three-loss SEC teams. In the Big Ten pecking order, the Buckeyes have fallen all the way to No. 8.
At the top sits UCLA, which has ripped off four straight double-digit wins after a 34-20 victory over Minnesota. Bob Chesney has turned the Bruins into a conference force in year one.
Indiana checks in at No. 2 after a bye week, with a huge matchup against USC on deck. The Hoosiers can likely still reach the CFP with two losses.
Iowa moves up to No. 3 after a 24-10 road win over Northwestern. With only two losses and an easier stretch ahead, the Hawkeyes are suddenly being treated like a real playoff contender.
USC lands at No. 4 after its bye week following the win over Ohio State. The Trojans need an upset of Indiana this weekend to keep their CFP hopes alive.
Oregon is right behind at No. 5. Dan Lanning’s team has dealt with a bad-luck season, but beating Ohio State in Columbus changes the tone fast, and the Ducks did it in a way no one has at the “Shoe” since 2022.
Wisconsin comes in at No. 6 after getting back in the win column against Rutgers a week after the Iowa loss. The Badgers could still end up as a sneaky nine-win team that lands on the bubble.
Illinois sits at No. 7 after a 24-13 Friday night win over Nebraska, pushing the Fighting Illini to 6-3 and showing just how far the program has come.
Then comes Ohio State at No. 8. The Luke Fahey version of OSU is barely a top-half team in the league, and that’s the harsh reality after a brutal Week 10.
Northwestern is No. 9, even if the hype is fading. Still, the Wildcats now share the same record as Ohio State heading into their Week 11 meeting in Columbus, which nobody would have guessed earlier this season.
Washington is No. 10 after a loss to Penn State under Matt Campbell, and the road ahead is no easier with Indiana and Oregon still left on the schedule.
Penn State is No. 11, winners of two straight and still with a path to finish on a five-game winning streak.
Minnesota drops to No. 12 after back-to-back losses to Indiana and Oregon, two of the conference’s most talented teams. The final three games could tell a lot about where the Gophers really stand.
Michigan State checks in at No. 13 after beating its in-state rival, a result that gave the Spartans a major boost.
Maryland is No. 14 after Aazaar Abdul-Rahim picked up his first win as interim head coach, a 34-29 victory over Purdue. He even got carried off the field.
Purdue lands at No. 15 after that loss, while Nebraska slides to No. 16 on a four-game losing streak. The Huskers are probably at the end of the road with Matt Rhule, and things are chaotic in Lincoln until that changes.
Rutgers sits at No. 17 after a third straight loss, even with Greg Schiano getting another chance in 2027 despite the 2-7 record.
Michigan rounds out the list at No. 18.
TTUN is cooked, and the 5-4 mark in the Kyle Whittingham era, which should be 4-5, is the worst-case scenario in Ann Arbor. It’s been a rough year for both teams in “The Game” rivalry.
In Other News...
Ohio State Suddenly Has A Receiver Problem Before Northwestern
The quarterback situation already had enough attention heading into Ohio States matchup with Northwestern, with both teams set to be without their starters under center because of injuries. But the Buckeyes may be dealing with a wider offensive shortage than expected, since three of their top six wide receivers are listed as questionable, adding another layer of uncertainty to a game that already looked like it would require some adjustment.
Brandon Inniss, Phillip Bell and Brock Boyd are all in question, while running back JaKobi Jackson and tight end Max LeBlanc remain sidelined. Northwestern is also shorthanded, with eight players out including starting quarterback Aidan Chiles and cornerback Josh Fussell, so this could turn into a game defined less by star power than by which side handles the attrition better and finds enough reliable options to function on offense. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States 2027 Running Back Picture Just Got More Interesting
Ohio States 2027 running back board picked up a notable addition when Daylon Gordon, a four-star prospect from Wylie, Texas, committed to the Buckeyes after previously being pledged to Texas State. Gordon arrives with a Power 4 offer sheet and gives Ohio State another talented name to build around as the class starts to take shape.
Even with Gordon on board, the Buckeyes are not treating the position as settled. They are still pursuing more running backs for the 2027 class, which keeps the room competitive and leaves open the possibility that this group could grow into one of the more interesting pieces of the cycle. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Has No Margin Left Against Northwestern
Ohio State has reached the point where every Saturday feels like a referendum on what kind of season this can still become. Three losses, including two in a row, have left the Buckeyes with no cushion in the Big Ten race and little room for error if they want to keep their championship and College Football Playoff hopes alive. The path is simple enough on paper: win out, starting with a home date against Northwestern, and hope the rest of the league picture bends back in their favor.
Northwestern is the kind of opponent Ohio State should be able to handle, but the larger issue is whether the Buckeyes can show the kind of response that has been missing during this slide. A prediction here favors Ohio State to get the win, with coaching adjustments expected to be part of the fix, but the bigger story is whether the team can use this game as a reset rather than another reminder of how thin the margin has become. [Read more 🡒]