Buckeyes drop in latest poll despite continued signs of growth
COLUMBUS — Ohio State handled its business for the first time this season.
Sure, the Buckeyes already had a pair of wins before Saturday night, but they weren’t convincing in either win or the loss to Oregon.
But against Akron, Ohio State battered, bruised and beat the Zips throughout the game, leaving no doubt and beginning to show signs that the Buckeyes are back on track.
Despite that progress, the Buckeyes were dropped one spot to No. 11 in the latest AP Poll, which was released Sunday. Alabama retained the top spot. The Crimson Tide were followed by Georgia, Oregon, Penn State and Iowa in the top five.
Of course, the Buckeyes were supposed to destroy Akron, a program that has just two wins since the 2019 season. They’re certainly more talented than the Zips. Anything but a blowout would have been unacceptable.
But there were still plenty of lessons to be taken from the latest win inside the Horseshoe. And young players with little experience were finally able to get on the field for Ohio State.
“I thought we did some good things,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said. “I thought there are still some things to build on, of course. But you can certainly see there’s a lot of guys out there that desperately need these snaps and the experience to keep building.
“That’s the idea: if we keep building, then we’ll have a chance to get to where we want to be by the end of the season.”
Ohio State seems to be finding its way defensively and letting young players get reps on both sides of the ball. That’ll only help the Buckeyes down the road.
The full AP Poll can be found below.
Week 4 AP Poll (Sept. 26)
- Alabama (58 first-place votes)
- Georgia (4)
- Oregon
- Penn State
- Iowa
- Oklahoma
- Cincinnati
- Arkansas
- Notre Dame
- Florida
- Ohio State
- Ole Miss
- BYU
- Michigan
- Texas A&M
- Coastal Carolina
- Michigan State
- Fresno State
- Oklahoma State
- UCLA
- Baylor
- Auburn
- NC State
- Wake Forest
- Clemson
