Ohio State Tumbles Out of AP Top 10 for First Time in Five Years

A nine-spot plunge after the USC loss

Ohio State plummeted from No. 2 to No. 11 in the Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday following a 30-18 defeat at Southern California on Saturday night.

The loss came in the first start for true freshman quarterback Luke Fahey, after Julian Sayin injured his throwing shoulder in a win over Indiana, per Yahoo Sports.

USC moved back into the poll at No. 18 after the win, while the Buckeyes found themselves outside the top 10 for the first time since September 26, 2021, according to Spectrum News.

Why the tumble is so striking

The drop ended a remarkable run of stability: Spectrum News reports Ohio State had stayed in the top 10 for 86 consecutive polls after briefly slipping to No. 11 in 2021. The defeat also marked the fourth straight week that the No. 1 or No. 2 team has lost to an unranked opponent.

Yahoo Sports notes Ohio State was the 11th top-10 team to lose in the past three weeks, and at least one team in the top two of the poll has now lost in each of those three weeks — a level of top-tier carnage unusual even for a chaotic season.

What the new poll looks like

Miami held at No. 1 for a third straight week after a 38-35 escape against North Carolina, taking 62 of 70 first-place votes, per Spectrum News.

Georgia moved up to No. 2 after a dominant win over Florida, Utah jumped to No. 3, Notre Dame sat fourth and UCLA reached No. 5 — its highest ranking since 2001 and first top-five appearance in 25 years.

Indiana slipped to No. 6 after an overtime win over Minnesota, with BYU, Kentucky, Alabama and Texas filling out the top 10.

USA TODAY's Re-Rank, carried by aol.com, ranked Ohio State slightly differently at No. 10, noting the Buckeyes fell behind two-loss Texas because of the Longhorns' head-to-head win in September.

The stakes after the second loss

The Buckeyes' second defeat of the season dropped them behind eight unbeaten or one-loss Power Four teams, and USA TODAY's Re-Rank also placed them behind Texas on the head-to-head tiebreaker, per aol.com.

With College Football Playoff positioning tightening, Ohio State can no longer afford another slip if it wants to control its own path.

Meanwhile, USC's re-entry at No. 18 shows how quickly one result can reshape the national picture — the Trojans jumped 13 spots in USA TODAY's re-rank on the strength of the upset.

No relief in the Week 10 slate

Yahoo Sports reports the carnage looks likely to continue immediately: the first week of November features No. 1 Miami visiting No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 2 Georgia at No. 12 Ole Miss, No. 3 Utah at No. 7 BYU, No. 8 Kentucky against No. 16 Tennessee, No. 9 Alabama at No. 15 LSU, and No. 10 Texas at No. 23 Missouri.

With six top-10 teams on the road or in ranked matchups, the poll's top tier could be reshuffled again before Ohio State even plays. Attention now shifts to whether the Buckeyes can stabilize behind Luke Fahey and climb back into contention.

Sources

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