Ohio State reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings, surpassing LSU, which had held the top seed for the previous two weeks.
The latest rankings from the selection committee were revealed Tuesday night.
The case for the Buckeyes was bolstered by their 28-17 win over Penn State on Saturday, giving them their highest-profile victory over the Nittany Lions, who were No. 10 in the rankings.
The Buckeyes had debuted at No. 1 in the initial rankings on Nov. 5 but were overtaken by the Tigers after they beat Alabama on the road the following weekend.
LSU was No. 2 in the latest rankings, ahead of Clemson at No. 3 and Georgia at No. 4.
Obtaining the top seed would likely prevent Ohio State from facing Clemson, the defending national champion, in one of the semifinal matchup and pair it against a one-loss team.
Selection committee chair Rob Mullens told ESPN that Ohio State's balance was a deciding factor in putting it ahead of LSU.
"It's probably that complete team piece," Mullens said. "Ohio State's been really good on both sides of the ball."
The Buckeyes are No. 6 in the nation in total offense and No. 1 in total defense.
The committee slotted at Alabama at No. 5, just outside the playoff field, followed by Utah and Oklahoma.
Ohio State has a chance to tighten its hold on the top spot against Michigan, which is No. 13 in the rankings. It also will face No. 8 Minnesota or No. 12 Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game on Dec. 7, though its resume already includes a win over the Badgers during the regular season.
