Ohio State drops to No. 3 in new AP poll after wild Week 2
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- All the chaos of college football was on display Saturday for Week 2 and despite the Buckeyes taking care of business, they dropped in the new rankings.
The Buckeyes (2-0) dropped one spot to No. 3 in this week's Associated Press poll after despite another mammoth non-conference win as they took down Western Michigan 56-0 in Columbus. Texas hopped above the Buckeyes to No. 2 after the Longhorns' impressive 31-12 win in Ann Arbor over Michigan, the first regular season loss for the Wolverines since 2021.
Michigan plummeted to No. 17 in the new poll while Ohio State is now surrounded by four SEC teams in the top-five (No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Texas, No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Ole Miss).
Another top-ten Midwest team suffered a big defeat Saturday as Notre Dame fell in a shocking upset to Northern Illinois 16-14. The Fighting Irish dropped from No. 5 to No. 18. The Huskies' marquee upset puts them in the new rankings at No. 25, becoming the first non Power Four team to cracked the AP poll this season.
Among the new teams in the top-ten are No. 7 Tennessee and No. 10 Miami. Joining the rankings are No. 21 Iowa State after a 20-19 win over Iowa for the Cy-Hawk trophy, No. 23 Nebraska, and No. 24 Boston College.
Associated Press Poll (Week 3)
| 1 | Georgia (54) |
| 2 | Texas (4) |
| 3 | Ohio State (5) |
| 4 | Alabama |
| 5 | Mississippi |
| 6 | Missouri |
| 7 | Tennessee |
| 8 | Penn State |
| 9 | Oregon |
| 10 | Miami (FL) |
| 11 | USC |
| 12 | Utah |
| 13 | Oklahoma State |
| 14 | Kansas State |
| 15 | Oklahoma |
| 16 | LSU |
| 17 | Michigan |
| 18 | Notre Dame |
| 19 | Louisville |
| 20 | Arizona |
| 21 | Iowa State |
| 22 | Clemson |
| 23 | Nebraska |
| 24 | Boston College |
| 25 | Northern Illinois |
The No. 3 Buckeyes enter a bye week and won't return to the field until Sept. 21 when they host the Marshall Thundering Herd in the team's last non-conference game. A kickoff time for that contest has yet to be announced.
Week 3 will be headlined with No. 4 Alabama traveling to play Wisconsin and multiple rivalry games with No. 9 Oregon and Oregon State meeting in the Platypus Bowl and Washington taking on Washington State in the Apple Cup.
NBC4's coverage of the college football season continues with Big Ten Saturday Night at 7:30 p.m. as the Indiana Hoosiers travel to Los Angeles to face the UCLA Bruins in a newly minted conference clash.