Buckeyes keep No. 2 spot in coaches poll before facing undefeated Indiana
Nov 17, 2024
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A 31-7 win over Northwestern at Wrigley Field has kept the Buckeyes high in the latest rankings and sets up another top-five clash.
Ohio State (9-1, 6-1) is ranked No. 2 in the nation for a second consecutive week in the USA Today coaches poll, remaining only behind the top-ranked Oregon Ducks, who beat the Buckeyes in October. Slightly below the Buckeyes is their next opponent, No. 5 Indiana, who enters Saturday's noon game in Columbus undefeated.
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This will be the Buckeyes' third top-five matchup this season after the October loss to Oregon and November win over Penn State. This is the first time in program history the Hoosiers are playing in a top-five game. Saturday's contest is in theory a Big Ten semifinal with the winner likely securing a place in the Big Ten championship game against Oregon, barring any upsets.
Elsewhere in the poll, the top-ten saw changes after Georgia's bounce back win over Tennessee 31-17 and Big 12 leaders BYU losing for the first time this season 17-13 at home against Kansas. The Bulldogs are back in the top-ten and joined by Mississippi and Miami, who rejoin this week. BYU's loss sent them plummeting down to No. 15.
USA Today coaches poll (Week 13)
1Oregon (55)2Ohio State3Texas4Penn State5Indiana6Notre Dame7Alabama8Georgia9Mississippi10Miami (FL)11Tennessee12SMU13Boise State14Texas A&M15BYU16Clemson17Army18Colorado19South Carolina20Tulane21Iowa State22Arizona State23UNLV24Memphis25Kansas State
While the Buckeyes-Hoosiers game will own the headlines on Saturday, another Week 13 all-ranked game to keep tabs on is No. 17 Army taking on No. 6 Notre Dame at 7 p.m. on NBC4. The Fighting Irish seem poised for an at-large playoff spot and look to hand the Black Knights their first loss of the season.
The Buckeyes are expected to keep their No. 2 place in the next College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night. We can expect shake-ups in the potential bracket after BYU and Tennessee's losses, which will shuffle the seedings significantly.
Using the Week 13 coaches rankings, the Buckeyes would host BYU in a first round playoff game on Dec. 20 or Dec. 21. The winner would face No. 4 seed Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Eve.
Mock playoff bracket