Buckeyes crack initial top four in College Football Playoff rankings

COLUMBUS — Ohio State has beaten every opponent on the schedule to date.

If it can do it for the next four weeks, it’ll be in the College Football Playoff, plain and simple.

The Buckeyes are still unblemished and undefeated, and the CFP committee is taking notice of the Big Ten’s best program. They’re No. 2 in the initial rankings on Tuesday night, trailing only Tennessee, which will play against No. 3 Georgia on Saturday.

Ohio State is one of four Big Ten teams to show up in the initial rankings. Rival Michigan is No. 5, and the Wolverines will show up for a massive Big Ten East showdown against Ohio State on Nov. 26.

Penn State is ranked No. 15, while Illinois is ranked No. 16.

Ohio State’s season-opening opponent, Notre Dame, is not ranked in the opening poll despite having a 5-3 record and wins over ranked teams such as North Carolina and Syracuse.

This released poll comes after the Buckeyes remained in the top three of the AP Top 25 following a win over Penn State on Saturday. And after another notch in the win column, that’s exactly where Ohio State will stay in both the AP Poll and the new College Football Playoff rankings.

The Buckeyes received 15 first-place votes in the AP Poll on Sunday, and now the rankings that will ultimately matter at the end of the season are released. They’re near the top of the CFP rankings to begin the process.

And if Ohio State is still undefeated a month from now, it will be in the national title picture at the very end.

College Football Playoff rankings (Nov. 1)

1. Tennessee
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Clemson
5. Michigan
6. Alabama
7. TCU
8. Oregon
9. USC
10. LSU
11. Ole Miss
12. UCLA
13. Kansas State
14. Utah
15. Penn State
16. Illinois
17. North Carolina
18. Oklahoma State
19. Tulane
20. Syracuse
21. Wake Forest
22. North Carolina State
23. Oregon State
24. Texas
25. Central Florida