Quick answer: Ohio State (5-1) is No. 4 in the Week 7 AP Top 25, behind only Georgia, Notre Dame and Miami. The Buckeyes rank above unbeaten Indiana, BYU, Texas Tech, Utah and UCLA, and above Texas, which fell to No. 7 after losing to Oklahoma.
That’s a bold spot for a team with a loss. College football fans love to say “undefeated teams should always rank higher.” So is Ohio State’s ranking fair, or are voters giving the Buckeyes too much credit? Here’s the full breakdown.
Where the Unbeaten Teams Landed in the Week 7 AP Poll
Nine FBS teams are still unbeaten, and Ohio State ranks above six of them.
| AP Rank | Team | Still unbeaten? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia | Yes |
| 2 | Notre Dame | Yes |
| 3 | Miami | Yes |
| 4 | Ohio State | No (5-1) |
| 5 | Indiana | Yes |
| 6 | Alabama | No |
| 7 | Texas | No |
| 8 | BYU | Yes |
| 9 | Ole Miss | No |
| 10 | Texas Tech | Yes |
| 11 | Utah | Yes |
| 12 | UCLA | Yes |
James Madison, the ninth unbeaten team, is the only one outside the top 25.
Why AP Voters Rank Ohio State So High
Voters aren’t only counting losses. They’re weighing results, margins and the eye test. Ohio State’s case rests on a few points:
- A perfect Big Ten record. The Buckeyes are 3-0 in conference play.
- Dominant wins. They beat Maryland 45-16 and won 31-14 at Iowa. The season opener was a 56-3 rout of Ball State.
- A star at the center. Jeremiah Smith enters Week 7 as the Heisman favorite, and the offense is scoring about 39 points a game in conference play.
- One narrow loss. Ohio State’s only defeat was 24-23 at Texas, in a game it led by 20 points entering the fourth quarter.
What About Texas?
Here’s the twist. Texas owns the head-to-head win over Ohio State. But Saturday, the Longhorns lost to Oklahoma, a team that wasn’t even ranked, and dropped from No. 1 to No. 7. Ohio State went the other direction, up one spot to No. 4.
In short, Texas won the game between them, but Ohio State has been the better team since. Voters are rewarding the results that came after that Week 2 shootout.
The Case Against Ohio State
Fair is fair. Ohio State’s Maryland win wasn’t clean. The Buckeyes committed eight penalties, lost the turnover battle 2-0, and their defense didn’t record a sack. Ryan Day was visibly frustrated. A team ranked No. 4 can’t play like that against a stronger opponent.
There’s also the simple argument: Georgia, Notre Dame and Miami have no losses, and Indiana is the reigning national champion with a 22-game winning streak. Some fans will always say an unbeaten team deserves the benefit of the doubt.
The Ranking Gets Tested Saturday
The debate may end quickly. Ohio State visits unbeaten Indiana on October 17 at noon ET, and oddsmakers have the Buckeyes as a small road favorite. Win, and the case for the top four gets stronger. Lose, and Indiana jumps ahead for good.
After that comes a USC trip and a home game against Oregon, a stretch that will decide whether this ranking is earned or inflated.
My Take
I think the ranking is defensible. Ohio State’s results, margins and star power justify the spot, and one loss by a single point on the road isn’t the same as a loss to a weak team. But the Buckeyes have to prove it. Sloppy football works against Maryland. It doesn’t work against Indiana.
Do you think Ohio State deserves to be ahead of unbeaten teams? Tell me in the comments, and subscribe so you don’t miss my Indiana game-day breakdown.
