COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State stayed at No. 4 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night.
While an outbreak of coronavirus cases led it to cancel its game at Illinois on Thanksgiving weekend, wiping off the second game on its schedule in three weeks and leaving it with a smaller body of work than other top Playoff contenders, it was not penalized by the selection committee.
Top-ranked Alabama, as well as Notre Dame and Clemson, remain ahead of the Buckeyes, following last week's initial rankings. Texas A&M, Florida and Cincinnati were fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively, rounding out a top-seven that remained unchanged.
Three more weeks are left in the regular season before the final rankings are released on Dec. 20, setting the field for the four-team playoff.
The Buckeyes, who are 4-0 in this pandemic-altered season, are left with increasingly few opportunities to make a closing case and impress the 13 members of the selection committee, either for qualification or higher seeding.
Saturday's game at Michigan State remains up in the air after the Buckeyes paused organized team activities for three days in the aftermath of calling off their game against Illinois.
While they resumed on Tuesday, additional virus cases could jeopardize the matchup with the Spartans if they emerge in the coming days. A spike late last week began on Wednesday before leading the cancellation at Illinois.
Gary Barta, the athletic director at Iowa who serves as the chairman of the selection committee, said last week that they are closely watching the trajectory of Ohio State's defense after it allowed almost 500 total yards in a win over Indiana.
There is no minimum game requirement to make the Playoff. Even with a schedule smaller than other teams, the Buckeyes sit firmly in contention and on a path to reach the postseason.
