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Ohio State picked up another road win over a quality opponent, over Minnesota, who remains at 25 despite a loss, and with Arizona State stumbling at Oregon State, Buckeye fans looked to see how high they would climb in this week's playoff rankings. Sitting at 9-1, the Buckeyes have now moved up to 6, the top spot in the Big Ten, but still behind a few other one loss teams in their quest to make the playoffs.
Ohio State likely only has one other potential quality game left on their schedule, in Wisconsin, should the Badgers make the Big Ten championship game. Wisconsin is at 16, while Nebraska, another potential championship game opponent should Wisconsin falter, sits at 23. Ohio State can clinch an appearance in the Big Ten championship game with a win against Indiana on Saturday.
It's clear that the Buckeyes will need a little bit of help to climb into the top four by the end of the season, as the relative weakness of the Big Ten, and a terrible loss to Virginia Tech, are keeping them down behind a few other teams. All is not lost though. TCU must still play a Texas team with a resurgent defense, and Baylor, down to 7, still has Kansas State on the schedule. Mississippi State has Ole Miss, Alabama has Auburn, and Florida State, now bereft of a real quality win themselves, may find themselves out of the top four should they stumble this season.
For now, Ohio State can only win the games on their schedule and hope things take care of themselves.
| Rank | Team | Last week | Week 12 result | Toughest opponent left (per F/+) | If the season ended today ... |
| 1 | Alabama (9-1) | 5 | Won 25-20 vs. No. 1 Mississippi State | Auburn | Sugar Bowl vs. Mississippi State |
| 2 | Oregon (9-1) | 2 | Idle | Oregon State | Rose Bowl vs. Florida State |
| 3 | Florida State (10-0) | 3 | Won 30-26 at Miami | Boston College | Rose Bowl vs. Oregon |
| 4 | Mississippi State (9-1) | 1 | Lost 25-20 at No. 5 Alabama | Ole Miss | Sugar Bowl vs. Alabama |
| 5 | TCU (9-1) | 4 | Won 34-30 at Kansas | Texas | New Year's bowl |
| 6 | Ohio State (9-1) | 8 | Won 31-24 at No. 25 Minnesota | Michigan | New Year's bowl |
| 7 | Baylor (8-1) | 7 | Idle | Kansas State | New Year's bowl |
| 8 | Ole Miss (8-2) | 10 | Idle | Mississippi State | Orange Bowl vs. Georgia Tech |
| 9 | UCLA (8-2) | 11 | Idle | USC | New Year's bowl |
| 10 | Georgia (8-2) | 15 | Won 34-7 vs. No. 9 Auburn | Georgia Tech | New Year's bowl |
| 11 | Michigan State (8-2) | 12 | Won 37-15 at Maryland | Penn State | New Year's bowl |
| 12 | Kansas State (7-2) | 13 | Idle | Baylor | |
| 13 | Arizona State (8-2) | 6 | Lost 35-27 at Oregon State | Arizona | |
| 14 | Auburn (7-3) | 9 | Lost 34-7 at No. 15 Georgia | Alabama | |
| 15 | Arizona (8-2) | 14 | Won 27-26 vs. Washington | Arizona State | |
| 16 | Wisconsin (8-2) | 20 | Won 59-24 vs. No. 16 Nebraska | Minnesota | |
| 17 | Utah (7-3) | 23 | Won 20-17 (2OT) at Stanford | Arizona | |
| 18 | Georgia Tech (9-2) | 22 | Won 28-6 vs. No. 19 Clemson | Georgia | Orange Bowl vs. Ole Miss |
| 19 | USC (7-3) | NR | Won 38-30 vs. Cal | UCLA | |
| 20 | Missouri (8-2) | NR | Won 34-27 at No. 24 Texas A&M | Arkansas | |
| 21 | Oklahoma (7-3) | NR | Won 42-30 at Texas Tech | Oklahoma State | |
| 22 | Clemson (7-3) | 19 | Lost 28-6 at No. 22 Georgia Tech | South Carolina | |
| 23 | Nebraska (8-2) | 16 | Lost 59-24 at No. 20 Wisconsin | Minnesota | |
| 24 | Louisville (7-3) | NR | Idle | Notre Dame | |
| 25 | Minnesota (7-3) | 25 | Lost 31-24 vs. No. 8 Ohio State | Wisconsin |