COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Buckeyes’ win over Navy in their season-opening game Saturday did little to impress the pollsters or convince them that Braxton Miller will not be missed.
Ohio State (1-0) dropped from No. 5 to No. 8 in the Associated Press college football media poll and from No. 6 to No. 7 in the “USA Today” coaches’ poll after defeating Navy 34-17 in Baltimore.
The Buckeyes host Virginia Tech on Saturday (8:00 p.m./ESPN).
Ohio State struggled offensively and defensively during the first three quarters of the game. J.T. Barrett played his first collegiate game at quarterback, replacing former Heisman Trophy candidate Miller who was lost for the season due to a re-aggravated shoulder injury.
The top four teams in this week’s AP poll stayed the same, but some of them also lost favor with voters following the first full weekend of football.
Top-ranked Florida State picked up 46 first-place votes following their tough win over Oklahoma State. No. 2 Alabama claimed just one first-place vote after failing to dominate against West Virginia.
Oregon is a close third, followed in order by Oklahoma, Auburn, Georgia, Michigan State, Ohio State, Texas A&M and Baylor. The ninth-ranked Aggies jumped 12 spots from last week after knocking off then No. 16 Clemson by 24 points.