The Ohio State football team put together one whale of a showing Saturday against a Rutgers team that had looked like a very competitive bunch so far in 2021. And while the result went largely unnoticed across the country, we see signs of it making its way through the national landscape with the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.
That’s because a lot of voters liked what they saw, moving Ohio State up three spots from No. 10 to No. 7 in the Week 5 rankings. That’s a significant bump into the top ten that had some to do with teams losing in front of it, but surely because of what folks saw OSU do on the road in the Big Ten as well.
Already this year, we’ve seen a crazy college football season with many teams inside the top ten falling. Teams like Clemson, Ohio State, and Notre Dame already have a loss, so the College Football Playoff race is going to be an interesting one as we flip the calendar each week.
Here’s a look at the top 10: Alabama (1), Georgia (2), Iowa (3), Penn State (4) Oklahoma, (5), Iowa (5), Cincinnati (6), Ohio State (7), Michigan (8), Oregon (9), and BYU (10).
The Big Ten is flexing its muscle in the latest college football coaches poll, but the SEC is still in charge.
More highlights: https://t.co/Xbni41p25m pic.twitter.com/GziBdvuO3S
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) October 3, 2021
Ohio State looks to continue its climb back up the polls, but more importantly, position itself to be appealing to the CFP Committee further down the road as it comes back home to face Maryland on Saturday. Here’s a look at the rest of the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll Top 25.
NEXT … Complete USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll
USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll
| Ranking | Team |
| 1. | Alabama |
| 2. | Georgia |
| 3. | Iowa |
| 4. | Penn State |
| 5. | Oklahoma |
| 6. | Cincinnati |
| 7. | Ohio State |
| 8. | Michigan |
| 9. | Oregon |
| 10. | BYU |
| 11. | Michigan State |
| 12. | Oklahoma State |
| 13. | Notre Dame |
| 14. | Kentucky |
| 15. | Coastal Carolina |
| 16. | Arkansas |
| 17. | Ole Miss |
| 18. | Florida |
| 19. | Auburn |
| 20. | Wake Forest |
| 21. | Clemson |
| 22. | NC State |
| 23. | Texas |
| 24. | Southern Miss |
| 25. | Arizona State |
Schools Dropped Out
Others Receiving Votes
Texas A&M 105; San Diego State 103; Baylor 40; Pittsburgh 34; Oregon State 27; Iowa State 27; Virginia Tech 24; Boston College 14; Texas-San Antonio 13; Appalachian State 11; Fresno State 8; Liberty 7; Mississippi State 6; North Carolina 5; Maryland 5; Western Michigan 2; Texas Tech 2; UL Lafayette 1; Nevada 1.
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