Ohio State Football
Buckeyes start poll climb after dominant opening victory
COLUMBUS — Ohio State wasn’t perfect in the season opener.
The Buckeyes have plenty to break down and improve on after their 52-17 season-opening win over Nebraska. But in the pandemic-shortened, eight-game season, a win is a win in the Big Ten.
And now that the first game is complete, the Buckeyes are back on the ballots of every poll voter and coach. Ohio State checked in at No. 3 in the latest Amway Coaches Poll on Sunday, sliding up two spots after officially announcing itself in the College Football Playoff hunt. Clemson retained the top spot. The Tigers were followed by Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Georgia. Ohio State received two first-place votes.
“To beat a Big Ten team like Nebraska 52-17, that’s a pretty impressive day,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “It would be just to beat a team by one. So, the expectations are high, but the reality of it is just [to win] is a great day. That was the No. 1 goal, and we’re very proud of what we did.”
Ohio State flexed its potential in an easy win over Nebraska. (Birm/Lettermen Row)
After weeks of posturing by some voters and coaches by not admitting the Big Ten teams into the rankings, they finally added the conference into the mix after the opening weekend of action for the conference. The Buckeyes were a top-five team last week despite being left off some ballots. Now, Ohio State is back where it should be in the polls — up with Alabama and Clemson among the best teams in the country.
No matter how the Buckeyes got their first win of the season, they’ll take the victory and move on to next week, when they’ll travel to No. 17 Penn State for a primetime showdown.
The full poll can be found below.
Coaches Poll (Oct. 25)
No. 1 – Clemson
No. 2 – Alabama
No. 3 – Ohio State
No. 4 – Notre Dame
No. 5 – Georgia
No. 6 – Oklahoma State
No. 7 – Cincinnati
No. 8 – Texas A&M
No. 9 – Florida
No. 10 – BYU
No. 11 – Wisconsin
No. 12 – Miami (FL)
No. 13 – North Carolina
No. 14 –Michigan
No. 15 – Oregon
No. 16 – Kansas State
No. 17 – Penn State
No. 18 – Marshall
No. 19 – Indiana
No. 20 – Southern California
No. 21 – Coastal Carolina
No. 22 – Iowa State
No. 23 – SMU
No. 24 – Oklahoma
No. 25 – Army
AP Poll (Oct. 25)
No. 1 – Clemson
No. 2 – Alabama
No. 3 – Ohio State
No. 4 –Notre Dame
No. 5 – Georgia
No. 6 – Oklahoma State
No. 7 – Cincinnati
No. 8 – Texas A&M
No. 9 – Wisconsin
No. 10 – Florida
No. 11 – BYU
No. 12 – Miami (FL)
No. 13 – Michigan
No. 14 – Oregon
No. 15 – North Carolina
No. 16 – Kansas Stat
No. 17 – Indiana
No. 18 – Penn State
No. 19 – Marshall
No. 20 – Coastal Carolina
No. 21 – Southern California
No. 22 – SMU
No. 23 – Iowa State
No. 24 – Oklahoma
No. 25 – Boise State
