Ohio State Football
Polls still irrelevant for Buckeyes before opener
COLUMBUS — It’s officially game week for Ohio State.
After countless days and weeks of protest, three different schedules and plenty of buildup, the Buckeyes are about to be back on the field for the first time in 301 days.
In the last poll before game action, Ohio State checked in at No. 5 in the latest Amway Coaches Poll on Sunday afternoon, receiving two first-place votes. Clemson retained the top spot in the poll. The Tigers are followed by Alabama, Notre Dame, Georgia and Ohio State.
Some coaches and voters in the AP Poll continue to only rank teams that have played a game this fall, but many added the Big Ten back into the rankings ahead of its opening weekend of games. Some will continue to keep the Buckeyes and other Big Ten teams off their ballots until the Oct. 25 polls are released, skewing the results and rankings in the polls. Once the Buckeyes kick off on Saturday at noon against Nebraska, they should be back into the top three or four with Alabama, Clemson and others, assuming the Crimson Tide and Tigers remain undefeated.
And the Buckeyes certainly aren’t worried where they’re ranked heading into the season opener. They’re focused on the little things on the football field.
“You can’t get too far ahead of yourself,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “You start thinking like that, you’ll get knocked out in the first round. We have to make sure we’re doing all the little things, not the flashy things, really well. The big things will come. The big plays will come. We have got to take care of the football, whether it’s the quarterback, the running back, the receivers, the tight ends, whoever’s touching the football. That ball has to be secured.”
The little things will help Ohio State make its nine-game case to be in the College Football Playoff. And that case begins Saturday.
The full poll can be found below.
Coaches Poll (Oct. 18)
No. 1 – Clemson
No. 2 – Alabama
No. 3 – Notre Dame
No. 4 – Georgia
No. 5 – Ohio State
No. 6 – Oklahoma State
No. 7 – Penn State
No. 8 – Florida
No. 9 – Texas A&M
No. 10 – Cincinnati
No. 11 – Miami
No. 12 – BYU
No. 13 – North Carolina
No. 14 – Wisconsin
No. 15 – Oregon
No. 16 – SMU
No. 17 – Michigan
No. 18 – Iowa State
No. 19 – Kansas State
No. 20 – Virginia Tech
No. 21 – Minnesota
No. 22 – North Carolina State
No. 23 – Southern California
No. 24 – Coastal Carolina
No. 25 – Marshall
AP Poll (Oct. 18)
No. 1 – Clemson
No. 2 – Alabama
No. 3 – Notre Dame
No. 4 – Georgia
No. 5 – Ohio State
No. 6 – Oklahoma State
No. 7 – Texas A&M
No. 8 – Penn State
No. 9 – Cincinnati
No. 10 – Florida
No. 11 – Miami (FL)
No. 12 – BYU
No. 13 – Oregon
No. 14 – North Carolina
No. 15 – Wisconsin
No. 16 – SMU
No. 17 – Iowa State
No. 18 – Michigan
No. 19 – Virginia Tech
No. 20 – Kansas State
No. 21 – Minnesota
No. 22 – Marshall
No. 23 – North Carolina State
No. 24 – Southern California
No. 25 – Coastal Carolina
