Ohio State falls to No. 7 in College Football Playoff rankings after loss at Michigan

Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch
·3 min read
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Ryan Day is 34-4 at Ohio State.

Ohio State has fallen outside of the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings following its 42-27 loss at Michigan.

In the penultimate rankings released on Tuesday night, the Buckeyes dropped five spots to No. 7.

Last weekend’s setback likely removed the Buckeyes from the playoff picture as no team has made the four-team field with multiple losses. Their overall record sits at 10-2.

Before being upset by the Wolverines on Saturday, Ohio State had jumped up to No. 2 behind top-seeded and unbeaten Georgia. Its playoff résumé had been then bolstered by a rout of Michigan State that knocked the Spartans out of the top-10.

In the first rankings revealed on Nov. 2, the Buckeyes debuted at No. 5, then moved into the top-four the following week.

Ohio State is idle this weekend as Michigan won the Big Ten East Division and earned a spot in the Big Ten championship game against Iowa on Saturday.

The Wolverines are now ranked second in the playoff rankings behind Georgia, followed by Alabama at No. 3, Cincinnati at No. 4, Oklahoma State at No. 5 and Notre Dame at No. 6. No. 8 Ole Miss, No. 9 Baylor and No. 10 Oregon round out the top-10 behind the Buckeyes.

If Ohio State misses the playoff as expected, it'll be on the outside for the first time since 2018. It had reached the playoff in each of its previous two seasons during coach Ryan Day's tenure and reached the national championship game last season.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at jkaufman@dispatch.com or on Twitter @joeyrkaufman.

The College Football Playoff schedule

Here are the dates to know for the College Football Playoff:

  • Selection show: Noon Dec. 5 on ESPN

  • Cotton Bowl: 3:30 or 7:30 p.m., Dec. 31 on ESPN

  • Orange Bowl: 3:30 or 7:30 p.m., Dec. 31 on ESPN

  • College Football Playoff national championship game: 8 p.m., Monday, Jan. 10, 2022 on ESPN

Big Ten bowl game tie-ins

  • Rose Bowl vs. Pac-12: Big Ten Champion goes here if not in the College Football Playoff, or highest-ranked Big Ten team

  • Vrbo Citrus Bowl vs. SEC

  • Outback Bowl vs. SEC

  • SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl vs. Pac-12

  • TransPerfect Music City Bowl vs. SEC

  • New Era Pinstripe Bowl vs. ACC

  • Guaranteed Rate Bowl vs. Big 12

  • Redbox Bowl vs. Pac-12*

  • Logistics on the Redbox Bowl TBD

  • Quick Lane Bowl vs. MAC

  • Duke’s Mayo Bowl vs. Pac-12

*Big Ten alternates with the SEC between the Las Vegas and Duke’s Mayo bowls over six seasons. Las Vegas is 2021, 2023, 2025, Duke’s Mayo is 2020, 2022, 2024

Which Big Ten teams are bowl eligible?

Here are the Bowl eligible (six wins) teams in the Big Ten:

Big Ten East:

  • Michigan (11-1)

  • Ohio State (10-2)

  • Michigan State (10-2)

  • Penn State (7-5)

  • Maryland (6-6)

Big Ten West:

  • Iowa (10-2)

  • Wisconsin (8-4)

  • Minnesota (8-4)

  • Purdue (8-4)

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football drops in CFP rankings in Week 14