If you’re an Ohio State fan, player or coach, you have to wonder what has to be done in order to get some love from the pollsters. The Buckeyes haven’t played a close game yet. They beat a solid Cincinnati squad handily and took the doors off a Power 5 Big Ten opponent on the road this Saturday in Bloomington, Indiana. And yet, still the body of work result has been a one-place slide in both major polls.
First, there was the Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY that kept Ohio State at to No. 6. And now, the Associated Press has followed suit by doing the same.
Now, before we get too upset, let this serve as a reminder that none of these so-called “major polls” mean diddly squat, because the only one that matters anymore is the College Football Playoff poll that won’t have its first release until Tuesday, November 5.
So, it’s all fun and games right now anyway.
However, it’s still worth noting that the perception machine seems to be cranking in high gear with pollsters getting behind Oklahoma and LSU more than Ohio State. It’s similar to how the CFP Committee churned the narrative machine to rank a two-loss Power 5, non-SEC champion Georgia ahead of the one-loss Big Ten Champs last year when all the dust settled.
Here’s your complete AP Top Ten:
If the Buckeyes continue to take care of business, it won’t likely matter when it’s all said and done. That is — unless — Ohio State decides to go out and lay an egg against a middle of the pack squad like it has done the last two season.
