Ohio State will have to work its way up to make the College Football Playoff this year. That's because the first set of CFP rankings was released on Tuesday, and the Buckeyes checked in at No. 12. And while that sounds great for a 12-team playoff, if the field were to be announced today, Ohio State would be left out by way of the highest-ranked Group of Six team, in this case, Boise State.
Ahead of the Buckeyes in the top eleven are Miami (1), Georgia (2), Utah (3), Indiana (4), Alabama (5), Kentucky (6), Texas (7), UCLA (8), BYU (9), Ole Miss (10), and Notre Dame (11). All of those teams would be in the field if play were ready to get underway today.
If anyone needed further urgency to know that the margin is razor-thin for Ohio State, this is another
nod to that. The Buckeyes may need to win out to get into the field, and that'll start with hosting a talented, albeit underperforming Oregon squad on Saturday.
The Buckeyes have two losses, both on the road to ranked teams, and have beaten two ranked teams away from home with a win against No. 4 Indiana and No. 19 Iowa. Do with that information as you may, and one has to wonder if missing Julian Sayin has anything to do with where Ohio State sits.
Here's a look at the complete top 25.
College Football Playoff Top 25 - First Release
THE CFP TOP 25 HAVE BEEN REVEALED 👀
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 4, 2026
Agree with the list? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/c4D5MF5GCc
The good news is that Ohio State does indeed win out; it will no doubt be in the playoff. The bad news? The schedule isn't an easy one coming down the stretch, and the Buckeyes did little to suggest they are in a place to expect wins the rest of the way out, given what we saw at USC.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: First College Football Playoff rankings released. Where is Ohio State?
