Ohio State debuted at No. 12 in the College Football Playoff’s first rankings of the 2026 season on Tuesday night, a spot that leaves the 6-2 Buckeyes as the first team out of the 12-team field and their lowest position in the CFP poll in nearly a decade.
The drop followed a 30-18 defeat at USC on Oct. 31 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a contest in which Ohio State did not find the end zone until the final two minutes and recorded its lowest point output of the season in the first start without Julian Sayin. The quarterback’s return timeline remains undefined, and there is a possibility he will not return at all this season.
Is this the CRAZIEST college football season we’ve ever seen?! 🏈 Ohio State was stunned by USC and we saw some INCREDIBLE finishes across the country! What a season this has been!@Joey_Galloway and I will break it all down, take a look at the latest Top 25, discuss the… pic.twitter.com/GHqsT2N6jC
If the playoff field were set today, No. 25 Boise State would claim the automatic bid reserved for the highest-ranked Group of Six team, bumping the Buckeyes as the 12th team in. It is the first time Ohio State has been ranked outside the top 10 of the CFP rankings since Nov. 7, 2017, when the Buckeyes came in at No. 13, according to USA Today. The committee’s message, as multiple outlets framed it: with two losses, Ohio State cannot afford another slip.
Indiana sits eight spots higher despite the head-to-head loss
The most striking comparison in Tuesday’s reveal is Indiana, which the Buckeyes beat on the road in Bloomington, sitting at No. 4 — eight spots above Ohio State.
Come hang out with us tonight as we react to the first CFP rankings AFTER the rankings are released! 🏈 8 PM ET / 7 PM CThttps://t.co/wsd3RmcudE pic.twitter.com/xw9L7S35Sz
Their offense played fairly well. They were held to four field goals through three-and-a-half quarters, but their defense gave up some really big, explosive plays.
Hunter Yurachek, analyst, on Ohio State’s loss at USC, USA Today
Yurachek also noted the road win at Indiana came down to a wire to a catch in the end zone that was just missed by inches,
while adding that the Buckeyes didn't look like the same Ohio State team this past weekend against Southern Cal,
USA Today reported. The committee chair explained that the panel still holds significant respect for the program’s identity this year, citing that impressive road victory at Indiana specifically.
The Oct. 31 loss at USC reshaped the resume
The 30-18 defeat at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Oct. 31 was Ohio State’s first game without starting quarterback Julian Sayin, who is out indefinitely with a throwing-arm injury. True freshman Luke Fahey made his first start and finished 21 of 38 for 260 yards and a touchdown, but was 6 of 20 for 151 yards on passes of 10 yards or more, according to PFF data cited by Sporting News. The Buckeyes scored a season-low 18 points and did not score a touchdown until the final two minutes.
Head coach Ryan Day had spent the two weeks before the game telling his team the burden was shared. I think everybody understands that we all gotta step up,
Day said. He elaborated that coaches, players and everyone involved must examine their own performance, adding that he personally needs to do better, push the coaching staff harder, bring more energy and improve game planning to support the young quarterback. Fahey played better than expected for a freshman in a big game, showing some plays worth praising alongside mistakes to correct, though pass protection offered little help with pressure arriving on nearly every dropback. Defensive back Jay Timmons, who had accumulated 14 tackles, six pass deflections, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in five games, missed the USC game. ESPN had given Ohio State a 74.2 percent chance to reach the playoff before the rankings were released.
The stakes were quantified days earlier: A to Z Sports’ College Football Playoff predictor had Ohio State at an 86 percent chance to make the field going into the USC game, a number that would have jumped to 96 percent with a win. The loss sent the Buckeyes to No. 12 instead.
A familiar place, fifteen years in the making
Ohio State has not finished lower than seventh in the CFP rankings since the rankings were created in 2014. And this is the program’s first November with multiple losses since 2011, when the 6-3 Buckeyes were coming off defeats to Miami, Michigan State and Nebraska. That 2011 squad had fallen to Miami 24-6, Michigan State 10-7 and Nebraska 34-27 before November began. The coaching situation then involved interim coach Luke Fickell, who later built Cincinnati into a 2021 playoff contender before taking over at Wisconsin. Players from that era also connect to the current roster: Cardale Jones was finishing high school at Glenville in Cleveland, while Jeremiah Smith was roughly five years old.
Oregon on Saturday, then a November gauntlet
Ohio State hosts No. 23 Oregon at 3:30 p.m. The Ducks are also starting a backup, Dylan Raiola, after coach Dan Lanning announced Dante Moore is out for the season, Sporting News reported.
CFP committee chair Hunter Yurachek said the coaches in the committee room had concerns about Ohio State’s defense giving up big plays against USC and about the Buckeyes’ defensive front. Said the 12 ranking had less to do with OSU playing a young quarterback. Always said “it…
From there: unranked Northwestern at home on Nov. 14, at Nebraska on Nov. 21, and Michigan on Nov. 28 to close the regular season. The remaining opponents hold a combined record of 21-11.
Committee ranks teams by current records
At the top of the committee’s initial board, Miami (8-0) claimed the No. 1 spot, followed by Georgia (7-1), Utah (8-0) and Indiana (8-1). The Big Ten is well represented beyond Ohio State, with UCLA at No. 8, Iowa at No. 19, USC at No. 20 and Oregon at No. 23. A victory over the Ducks would give Ohio State its third win against a current top-25 team, joining road victories over No. 4 Indiana and No. 19 Iowa.
More on Ohio State
Hunter Yurachek said the CFP selection committee never compared No. 4 Indiana and No. 12 Ohio State head-to-head even though the Buckeyes beat the Hoosiers three weeks ago. https://t.co/8Y7NbCNYSa
Asked about Indiana being eight spots ahead of Ohio State, CFP selection committee chairman Hunter Yurachek said the committee “never got to a point where we were comparing Indiana and Ohio State in their head-to-head.” “They didn't look like the same Ohio State team this past…
"Ohio State didn't look like Ohio State this past weekend." CFP Selection Committee member Hunter Yurachek on OSU being out of projected CFP 👀 Does OSU deserve to be ranked higher? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/z7VLTFbyjo
CFP committee chair Hunter Yurachek says Ohio State didn’t look like the same team against USC, raising concerns about the Buckeyes’ offensive line and defense — not necessarily the QB. “The committee shared concern about Ohio State up front and their defense.” Is this a bigger… https://t.co/GqMeWlbfpr
CFP chairman Hunter Yurachek “Tennessee doesn’t have the same amount of quality wins (as Alabama)…” (weren’t in same pod) “They didn’t look like the same Ohio State team this past weekend against Southern Cal…” Hunter Yurachek says CFP never got to a spot where Ohio State…
CFP chair Hunter Yurachek on Indiana at No. 4 and Ohio State at No. 12 … 'We never got to a point where we were comparing Indiana and Ohio State in their head to head.' 😂 This is Miami-Notre Dame all over again, isn't?
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