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Not playing didn't serve the Ohio State Buckeyes football team particularly well with respect to their standings in the AP Top 25 Poll. A week after being tied with the University of Georgia Bulldogs at fifth overall in the poll, long time #1 Alabama's shocking loss to Texas A&M was enough to break the point differential between the two schools, causing Ohio State to drop a spot.
All's certainly not loss for the Buckeyes who close with two of the more challenging opponents they'll have seen in 2012. With Wisconsin and Michigan still to go, two wins (and especially any sort of win with style points), could have Ohio State factoring into the final Top 5 overall regardless of the temporary stumbling block.
Oregon, in a bit of surprise for those that champion schedule strength, moves up to #1 overall in this week's poll. Kansas State is but 34 points separated at #2 with Notre Dame getting presumably a Beano Cook #1 overall vote from beyond the grave at #3. Alabama falls to fourth while Florida, who needed every second that it could to get past Louisiana-Lafayette at home, stays static at 7th. Texas A&M jumps up to #9 after their college football landscape changing victory over the Crimson Tide Saturday.
The rest of the AP Top 25 can be seen in its entirety below:
| Rank | Team | Record | Votes | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon (45) | 10-0 | 1,485 | 2 |
| 2 | Kansas State (14) | 10-0 | 1,451 | 3 |
| 3 | Notre Dame (1) | 10-0 | 1,382 | 4 |
| 4 | Alabama | 9-1 | 1,259 | 1 |
| 5 | Georgia | 9-1 | 1,223 | 5 |
| 6 | Ohio State | 10-0 | 1,212 | 5 |
| 7 | Florida | 9-1 | 1,089 | 7 |
| 8 | LSU | 8-2 | 1,046 | 9 |
| 9 | Texas A&M | 8-2 | 1,031 | 15 |
| 10 | Florida State | 9-1 | 1,024 | 8 |
| 11 | Clemson | 9-1 | 907 | 10 |
| 12 | South Carolina | 8-2 | 848 | 12 |
| 13 | Oklahoma | 7-2 | 798 | 14 |
| 14 | Stanford | 8-2 | 766 | 16 |
| 15 | Oregon State | 7-2 | 556 | 13 |
| 16 | Nebraska | 8-2 | 549 | 18 |
| 17 | UCLA | 8-2 | 541 | 17 |
| 18 | Texas | 8-2 | 496 | 19 |
| 19 | Louisiana Tech | 9-1 | 374 | 19 |
| 20 | Louisville | 9-1 | 322 | 11 |
| 21 | USC | 7-3 | 297 | 21 |
| 22 | Rutgers | 8-1 | 179 | 24 |
| 23 | Michigan | 7-3 | 135 | NR |
| 23 | Texas Tech | 7-3 | 135 | 25 |
| 25 | Kent State | 9-1 | 93 | NR |
| Others Receiving Votes: Oklahoma State 79, Northern Illinois 77, Mississippi State 48, Wisconsin 26, UCF 16, Boise State 14, Arizona 6, Fresno State 6, Cincinnati 6, TCU 5, San Jose State 4, Utah State 4, Tulsa 4, San Diego State 3, Northwestern 2, Toledo 1, Washington 1 | ||||