AP Poll: Ohio State retains top spot after latest blowout win

COLUMBUS — For the second time in the first half of the season, Ohio State will officially face a ranked opponent. But unlike the first time, this test will come on the road.

The No. 1 Buckeyes will face No. 17 Illinois in Champaign on Saturday at Noon on FOX.

The Buckeyes barely retained the top spot, staving off the Miami Hurricanes, who went on the road and scored a huge ACC win over previously-ranked Florida State on Saturday night.

Ohio State received 40 first-place votes, down from the 46 it received last week as the grip on the top spot continues to weaken. Other first-place votes went to Miami and Oregon. The top five is rounded out by Oregon, Miami, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. The Hurricanes moved up after their road win over Florida State, while Oregon and Ole Miss were idle while Texas A&M beat Mississippi State at home.

For Ohio State, this game against Minnesota was a test of focus after the long road trip — and win — at Washington last weekend. Now the next test is much tougher, and it’s again on the road against a talented team.

But Day was happy that his team didn’t suffer a similar fate of other contenders on a Saturday that was full of upsets, most notably with Texas falling to Florida and Penn State losing a stunner at UCLA.

“We’re going to go on the road against Illinois next week,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “It’s going to be a bear. You saw what happened in college football today. You’ve got to bring it every week, and the team that’s desperate and the team that’s hungry is going to win the game. And it’s our job to make sure it doesn’t take a loss to make sure we are hungry and desperate. But these guys are still kids, and so you’ve got to keep hammering home.”

Ohio State now has a critical road test up next. It’s the No. 1 Buckeyes at No. 17 Illinois.

The full AP Poll can be found below.

AP Poll (Oct. 5)

1. Ohio State (40)
2. Miami (21)
3. Oregon (5)
4. Ole Miss
5. Texas A&M
6. Oklahoma
7. Indiana
8. Alabama
9. Texas Tech
10. Georgia
11. LSU
12. Tennessee
13. Georgia Tech
14. Missouri
15. Michigan
16. Notre Dame
17. Illinois
18. BYU
19. Virginia
20. Vanderbilt
21. Arizona State
22. Iowa State
23. Memphis
24. South Florida
25. Florida State