Ohio State lost to Texas earlier in the year, but the Buckeyes have been playing well as of late, winning at Indiana last weekend.

Ryan Day’s team, which has lost starting quarterback Julian Sayin to an arm injury, comes in at No. 2 overall in the latest AP Poll Top 25 rankings. Miami is No. 1 in the latest poll, followed up by Ohio State, Georgia, Indiana and Notre Dame.

Utah, UCLA, BYU, Kentucky and Alabama round out the top 10.

But should Ohio State be No. 1?

Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports has the Buckeyes at No. 1 overall in her latest AP Poll Top 25 rankings.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day watches warm ups prior to the NCAA football game against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas on Sept. 12, 2026.Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day watches warm ups prior to the NCAA football game against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas on Sept. 12, 2026.Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.

Nicole Auerbach’s Top 25 rankings

  1. Ohio State Buckeyes
  2. Miami Hurricanes
  3. Utah Utes
  4. Indiana Hoosiers
  5. BYU Cougars
  6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
  7. Georgia Bulldogs
  8. UCLA Bruins
  9. Alabama Crimson Tide
  10. Kentucky Wildcats
  11. Texas Longhorns
  12. Ole Miss Rebels
  13. LSU Tigers
  14. Houston Cougars
  15. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
  16. Tennessee Volunteers
  17. Texas Tech Red Raiders
  18. Arizona Wildcats
  19. Wisconsin Badgers
  20. Missouri Tigers
  21. Northwestern Wildcats
  22. Oklahoma State Cowboys
  23. Iowa Hawkeyes
  24. Boise State Broncos
  25. Florida Gators

This was my ballot: https://t.co/nqWx4Fww30pic.twitter.com/iiVraP28LZ

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) October 25, 2026

ESPN’s computer model agrees with Auerbach

ESPN’s computer model, the Football Power Index, agrees with Auerbach’s rankings – or, at least, having Ohio State at No. 1 overall.

The Buckeyes are coming off a bye week, but they remain at No. 1 overall in the computer model’s Top 25 rankings, which updated on Sunday morning.

Ohio State, which will take on USC next weekend, is the favorite to win the national title, too. The Buckeyes have an 18.9 percent chance to win the College Football Playoff, according to ESPN’s computer model.

This story was originally published by The Spun on Oct 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Source: Yahoo Sports