Joel Klatt moves Ohio State after a week of upsets in college football

We're six weeks into the college football season, and Ohio State is still in a strong position for conference and national titles. However, the schedule is about to move to an entirely new level of difficulty. The Buckeyes took care of Maryland on homecoming weekend with relative ease, but now comes a stretch of games against ranked opponents and tough road venues.

As of now, though, Ohio State looks like one of the best teams in the country. After a weekend of upsets, what does Fox College Football analyst Joel Klatt think about how the Buckeyes stack up? The national media seems to give the SEC the benefit of the doubt while giving the Big Ten and other conferences no room for error. So where does Klatt have OSU and the other top teams in the country ranked? Let's take a look.

No. 10 - UCLA Bruins (not ranked last week)

What we say

UCLA goes into Autzen and upsets Oregon behind seven turnovers. Of course, the Ducks were still without their No. 1 quarterback. Either way, new head coach Bob Chesney has the Bruin faithful believing at 5-0 on the season. Is this really one of the best ten teams in the country? We're skeptical. However, the remaining schedule is more than manageable, and we could feasibly see UCLA in the Big Ten Championship game.

No. 9 - BYU Cougars (No. 10 last week)

What we think

Another week, another win for BYU, but still no quality opponents. This is the week we should see if the Cougars are contenders or pretenders as Notre Dame comes to town. Although there are some who would say the Fighting Irish are living on reputation and may not be as good as their record shows.

No. 8 - Utah Utes (No. 9 last week)

What we think

Utah has also looked very good against its schedule so far, but again, there just hasn't been a lot of quality opponents. No. 20 Houston comes to town in a few weeks, and then a matchup in the "Holy War" with No. 8 BYU will be telling. The Utes are a physical team. Should they find their way into the College Football Playoff they could be a scary team to face.

No. 7 - Texas Longhorns (No. 2 last week)

What we think

Remember when Texas fans were begging for Arch Manning to play over Quinn Ewers a few years back? The Longhorn defense is really good, but the offense just seems to keep spinning its wheels, and much of that falls on Arch's shoulders. To be fair, it's not all Manning's fault. Steve Sarkisian hasn't done a great job of developing his quarterbacks at Texas, and he's had some good material to work with.

No. 6 - Indiana Hoosiers (No. 6 last week)

What we think

The 2026 version of Indiana has not looked like the 2025 version of Indiana. While undefeated, the Hoosiers have had a couple of close calls. They just keep finding ways to win. But now things get real, and we'll see if the defending national champs can keep the streak alive when Ohio State comes to town this Saturday. The Buckeyes pose a much bigger threat than Northwestern and Nebraska.

No. 5 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish (No. 7 last week)

What we think

Notre Dame hasn't looked like a national title contender. The Irish have not faced the stiffest of competition thus far in the season. As a matter of fact, Notre Dame will face its first ranked opponent this Saturday when the team heads to Provo for a showdown with No. 8 BYU.

No. 4 - Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 5 last week)

What we think

Alabama could have easily been on the other side of this equation. If not for an egregious no-call on an obvious pass interference late in the game, along with an unsportsmanlike penalty dug the Tide's grave. Kelon Russell continues to play at a high level as a first-year starter. Should Bama move up after a loss? Was anyone shocked when it happened? SEC bias at its best.

No. 3 - Miami Hurricanes (No. 4 last week)

What we think

Miami may be the No. 1 scoring team in the country, but who have they played? It's pretty easy to light up a scoreboard when the competition isn't on the same level. The Hurricanes will continue to cruise through this cupcake schedule until a trip to South Bend in early November. How will those South Florida boys fare in the cold?

No. 2 - Ohio State Buckeyes (No. 3 last week)

What we think

Things are about to get real for Ohio State. The Buckeyes go on the road to Bloomington to take on the defending national champs. The passing game has been excellent as always, and the running game seems to be rounding into form, but the ground attack will need to continue to improve during this gauntlet of the schedule. A one-dimensional team is easy to scheme for.

No. 1 - Georgia Bulldogs (No. 1 last week)

What we think

Give credit where credit is due. Georgia went into Alabama and took down the Crimson Tide on the road in a hostile environment. The Bulldogs seem as balanced as a team can be. We have no problem with UGA in the top spot. The Dawgs have been the most consistent team in America.

Joel Klatt's full rankings

A shake-up in @joelklatt's new Top 10 – do you agree? pic.twitter.com/foO9s2Lvml

— The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football on FOX Pod (@JoelKlattShow) October 12, 2026

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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Joel Klatt moves Ohio State after a week of upsets in college football