COLUMBUS – The Buckeyes’ loss to Oregon cost them dearly in the polls.
Ohio State fell from third to ninth in the Associated Press college football media poll and to No. 11 in the coaches’ poll in the wake of the defeat in its 2021 home opener.
The Ducks’ victory earned them a promotion to No. 4.
Cincinnati remained No. 8 in the coaches poll but fell from seventh to ninth in the AP poll after struggling a bit before beating Murray State 42-7.
The Bearcats can salve the wound with Friday’s invitation to join the Big 12.
Alabama remained No. 1, Georgia stayed at No. 2 and Oklahoma rose to No. 3 in both polls.
Another impressive defensive performance by Iowa against Iowa State in the Cy-Hawk Trophy game pushed the Hawkeyes from No. 10 to No. 5.
Schedule update
Ohio State’s game Sept. 25 against Akron will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
Stroud repeats as Freshman of the Week
Fans and observers agree the bright spot in the loss to Oregon was the play of quarterback C.J. Stroud and the powers-that-be who hand out Big Ten conference honors agree.
Stroud has been selected as the conference’s Freshman of the Week for the second week in a row
Making his second career start, the redshirt freshman from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., completed 35-of-54 passes for 484 yards and three touchdowns.
His yardage total is the second most in a single game in school history, topped only by Dwayne Haskins’ 499-yard performance in the 2018 Big Ten Championship Game versus Northwestern.
The Buckeyes (1-1, 1-0) host Tulsa (0-2) Saturday at Ohio Stadium (3:30 p.m./FS1).