COLUMBUS – As expected, the Buckeyes’ stunning come-from-behind win over then-No. 2 Penn State Saturday vaulted OSU right back into the thick of the national championship conversation.
No. 6 Ohio St. (7-1, 5-0 Big Ten) at Iowa (5-3, 2-3); Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Nov. 4 (3:30/ESPN)
Ohio State climbed to third in both the AP Top 25 and the coaches’ college football poll, behind Alabama and Georgia and followed by Wisconsin.
The move comes at the perfect time, days before the College Football Playoff selection committee releases its first rankings of the season, though some observers don’t think the committee will be as impressed with Ohio State as the poll voters.
Every team in the top 10 except idle Alabama changed positions in the poll following Ohio State’s last-second victory over Penn State and Iowa State’s win over TCU. The Nittany Lions dropped five spots with Saturday’s loss and the Horned Frogs sank five notches in the AP poll and eight spots in the coaches’ poll by losing to the Cyclones.
Notre Dame, Clemson, Penn State, Oklahoma, Miami and TCU round out the AP’s top 10. The coaches ranked Clemson No. 5, followed by Miami, Penn State, the Fighting Irish, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
Ohio State rallied from 11 points down in the final five minutes to hand No. 2 Penn State its first loss, 39-38 as quarterback J.T. Barrett was named the Big Ten Conference offensive player of the week after one of the best games of his decorated career, throwing three of his four touchdown passes during the furious fourth quarter after the Buckeyes were down 35-20.
Over his last six games, Barrett has completed 75 percent of his passes for 1,679 yards and 22 touchdowns with no interceptions and Saturday’s game has put him back in Heisman Trophy contention.
The Buckeyes return to Kinnick Stadium Saturday for the first time since 2010 to face the Hawkeyes.