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On Saturday night, the Ohio State Buckeyes cleared their first presumed hurdle of the 2019 season by annihilating the Nebraska Cornhuskers 48-7. It was a full-team demolition of what had been a trendy preseason pick to win the Big Ten West. Thanks to the completeness of the butt-kicking, the Buckeyes are beginning to gain more respect across the country by fans, media, analytics, and pollsters alike.
On Sunday, the AP Poll moved the Buckeyes up to No. 4, behind new No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Georgia. No. 5 LSU round out the top five.
The Buckeyes will face Michigan State Spartans on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET., but Sparty is at 26th, one spot out of the rankings. The other Big Ten teams in this week’s rankings are No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 12 Penn State, No. 14 Iowa, and No. 19 Michigan. The undefeated Minnesota Golden Gophers are also receiving votes.
Check out the full AP Poll here:
AP Poll | Sept. 29
| Rank | Team | Previous Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Previous Rank | Points |
| 1 | Alabama | 2 | 1,478 |
| 2 | Clemson | 1 | 1,426 |
| 3 | Georgia | 3 | 1,375 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 5 | 1,324 |
| 5 | LSU | 4 | 1,322 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 6 | 1,264 |
| 7 | Auburn | 7 | 1,186 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | 8 | 1,046 |
| 9 | Notre Dame | 10 | 996 |
| 10 | Florida | 9 | 986 |
| 11 | Texas | 11 | 919 |
| 12 | Penn State | 12 | 878 |
| 13 | Oregon | 13 | 817 |
| 14 | Iowa | 14 | 731 |
| 15 | Washington | 17 | 603 |
| 16 | Boise State | 16 | 559 |
| 17 | Utah | 19 | 534 |
| 18 | UCF | 2 | 352 |
| 19 | Michigan | 20 | 350 |
| 20 | Arizona State | N/A | 249 |
| 21 | Oklahoma State | N/A | 215 |
| 22 | Wake Forest | N/A | 190 |
| 23 | Virginia | 18 | 186 |
| 24 | SMU | N/A | 151 |
| 25 | Texas A&M | 23 | 147 |
USA Today’s panel of SIDs coaches moved the Buckeyes up a spot over the idle LSU Tigers. Ohio State is now in fifth place in the Coaches Poll, and also received four first-place votes.
Sparty moved up five spots to re-enter the poll at 23rd. Other B1G squads in the Coaches Poll include No. 9 Wisconsin, No. 11 Penn State, No. 14 Iowa, and No. 18 Michigan. Minnesota is also receiving votes in this poll, putting them effectively in 30th.
Check out the full Coaches Poll:
Coaches Poll | Sept. 29
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | 1st Place Votes | Previous | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | 1st Place Votes | Previous | Change |
| 1 | Alabama | 5-0 | 1562 | 29 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | Clemson | 5-0 | 1526 | 30 | 1 | -1 |
| 3 | Georgia | 4-0 | 1446 | 1 | 3 | — |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 4-0 | 1373 | 0 | 4 | — |
| 5 | Ohio State | 5-0 | 1362 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| 6 | Louisiana State | 4-0 | 1349 | 0 | 5 | -1 |
| 7 | Auburn | 5-0 | 1198 | 0 | 7 | — |
| 8 | Florida | 5-0 | 1100 | 0 | 8 | — |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 4-0 | 1097 | 0 | 9 | — |
| 10 | Notre Dame | 3-1 | 987 | 0 | 10 | — |
| 11 | Penn State | 4-0 | 978 | 0 | 11 | — |
| 12 | Texas | 3-1 | 912 | 0 | 12 | — |
| 13 | Oregon | 3-1 | 813 | 0 | 13 | — |
| 14 | Iowa | 4-0 | 790 | 0 | 14 | — |
| 15 | Boise State | 4-0 | 621 | 0 | 15 | — |
| 16 | Washington | 4-1 | 608 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| 17 | Utah | 4-1 | 532 | 0 | 19 | 2 |
| 18 | Michigan | 3-1 | 417 | 0 | 20 | 2 |
| 19 | Central Florida | 4-1 | 308 | 0 | 23 | 4 |
| 20 | Wake Forest | 5-0 | 279 | 0 | 24 | 4 |
| 21 | Texas A&M | 3-2 | 251 | 0 | 21 | — |
| 22 | Virginia | 4-1 | 202 | 0 | 18 | -4 |
| 23 | Michigan State | 4-1 | 167 | 0 | NR | 5 |
| 23 | Memphis | 4-0 | 167 | 0 | NR | 3 |
| 25 | Oklahoma State | 4-1 | 158 | 0 | NR | 5 |
While we don’t normally reference the Football Writers Association of America and National Football Foundation poll, I did think that it was interesting to include the fact that Ohio State moved up two spots in this poll as well, jumping Georgia and LSU.
Check out the full FWAA_NFF Poll:
FWAA-NFF Pol | Sept. 29
| Rank | Team | Points | First-Place Votes | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Points | First-Place Votes | Previous |
| 1 | Alabama (5-0) | 696 | 22 | 2 |
| 2 | Clemson (5-0) | 630 | 12 | 1 |
| 3 | Ohio State (5-0) | 608 | 5 | 5 |
| 4 | Georgia (4-0) | 606 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | LSU (4-0) | 604 | 4 | 4 |
| 6 | Oklahoma (4-0) | 544 | 1 | 6 |
| 7 | Auburn (5-0) | 485 | 1 | 7 |
| 8 | Wisconsin (4-0) | 398 | 8 | |
| 9 | Florida (5-0) | 319 | 9 | |
| 10 | Notre Dame (3-1) | 308 | 11 | |
| 11 | Texas (3-1) | 276 | 10 | |
| 12 | Penn State (4-0) | 254 | 13 | |
| 13 | Oregon (3-1) | 206 | 12 | |
| 14 | Iowa (4-0) | 113 | 14 | |
| 15 | Washington (4-1) | 70 | N/A | |
| 16 | Boise State (4-0) | 59 | 16 |
On the analytics side, The Buckeyes stayed at No. 2 in Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings, but they moved up to just 0.3 points behind the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide. Ohio State continues to be the only team currently ranked in the top five in both the offensive and defensive rankings, coming in at fifth and third respectively.
SP+ Rankings | Sept. 29
| Team (Record) | Rating | Offense | Defense | Special Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team (Record) | Rating | Offense | Defense | Special Teams |
| 1. Alabama (5-0) | 31.8 | 46.4 (3) | 14.5 (8) | -0.1 (84) |
| 2. Ohio St. (5-0) | 31.5 | 43.8 (5) | 12.3 (3) | 0.0 (55) |
| 3. Oklahoma (4-0) | 28.3 | 51.9 (1) | 23.4 (42) | -0.2 (97) |
| 4. Georgia (4-0) | 26.5 | 40.9 (8) | 14.8 (12) | 0.4 (12) |
| 5. LSU (4-0) | 25.7 | 46.9 (2) | 21.9 (35) | 0.7 (1) |
| 6. Clemson (5-0) | 24.5 | 38.3 (15) | 13.8 (5) | 0.0 (68) |
| 7. Penn St. (4-0) | 24.5 | 40.6 (9) | 16.4 (16) | 0.3 (19) |
| 8. Wisconsin (4-0) | 23.3 | 35.5 (28) | 11.7 (1) | -0.5 (127) |
| 9. Auburn (5-0) | 21.7 | 37.9 (16) | 16.5 (18) | 0.3 (25) |
| 10. Florida (5-0) | 21.5 | 36.3 (22) | 15.2 (14) | 0.4 (16) |
| 11. Washington (4-1) | 21 | 39.4 (13) | 18.9 (28) | 0.5 (6) |
| 12. Oregon (3-1) | 19.2 | 32.1 (45) | 12.5 (4) | -0.4 (118) |
| 13. Michigan (3-1) | 18.5 | 31.8 (48) | 13.8 (6) | 0.5 (4) |
| 14. UCF (4-1) | 17.8 | 36.0 (25) | 18.2 (26) | 0.0 (69) |
| 15. Missouri (3-1) | 17.8 | 31.7 (49) | 14.3 (7) | 0.4 (11) |
| 16. Texas (3-1) | 17.6 | 44.0 (4) | 26.8 (61) | 0.5 (7) |
| 17. Utah (4-1) | 17.5 | 37.2 (18) | 19.5 (31) | -0.1 (83) |
| 18. Oklahoma St. (4-1) | 17.4 | 39.8 (12) | 22.5 (37) | 0.0 (66) |
| 19. TCU (3-1) | 17.3 | 33.6 (35) | 16.4 (17) | 0.2 (39) |
| 20. Iowa (4-0) | 17 | 34.4 (30) | 17.8 (22) | 0.4 (13) |
| 21. Michigan St. (4-1) | 17 | 29.2 (62) | 12.0 (2) | -0.1 (90) |
| 22. Notre Dame (3-1) | 16.7 | 36.2 (24) | 19.6 (32) | 0.1 (43) |
| 23. Texas A&M (3-2) | 15.6 | 33.3 (38) | 17.8 (23) | 0.2 (36) |
| 24. Iowa St. (2-2) | 15.5 | 33.5 (37) | 17.8 (24) | -0.2 (93) |
| 25. Memphis (4-0) | 15.4 | 29.7 (57) | 14.6 (9) | 0.3 (17) |
In addition, our man, Joel Flatt from FOX has removed the caveats and put the Buckeyes as the lone No. 1 in his personal rankings (he had Alabama and Clemson as 1b and 1c last week).
My CFB Top 10 Wk5
— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) September 29, 2019
1) @OhioStateFB
2) @AlabamaFTBL
3) @LSUfootball
4) @OU_Football
5) @GeorgiaFootball
6) @ClemsonFB
7) @BadgerFootball
8) @TexasFootball
9) @NDFootball
10) @AuburnFootball
Although he is a former Ohio State starting quarterback and captain, many OSU fans have had issues with ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit’s treatment of his alma mater over the years. But after witnessing the Nebraska game first hand, the blue-eyed Buckeye put Ohio State at the top of his picks.
your boy, @KirkHerbstreit’s got the Buckeyes as the top team in the country. Can’t say I disagree all that much. pic.twitter.com/HMo7WlZGG8
— Land-Grant Holy Land (@Landgrant33) September 29, 2019
Heck, even Buckeye Nation’s most hated media member, Mark May, is giving Ryan Day’s team love.
What's funnier, Mark May having to admit that Ohio State is the best team in the country, or that Mark May is now doing local sports coverage in Arizona?https://t.co/2pZoOfKtHE
— Land-Grant Holy Land (@Landgrant33) September 29, 2019