Ohio State drops to No. 6 in penultimate playoff rankings before selection show
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio State will enter conference championship weekend again without a game, but unlike in years past, they don't have to watch in fear of missing the playoffs.
Ohio State (10-2, 7-2), which was ranked No. 2 in every previous playoff ranking, has dropped to No. 6 in the penultimate poll before Sunday's noon selection show. The 13-10 loss to Michigan guarantees the Buckeyes will not earn a bye into the quarterfinals and will have to play a first-round game on Dec. 20 or 21.
Throughout November, the Buckeyes were slated to be the No. 5 seed in the new 12-team bracket. These new rankings now have Ohio State dropped down to the No. 8 seed. In the current projections, the No. 8-seeded Buckeyes would play a first-round game at Ohio Stadium against the No. 9-seed, which is Tennessee. The winner would advance to play Oregon in a quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
To see a full explanation on how the new 12-team format works, follow this link.
College Football Playoff poll (Dec. 3, 2024)
Teams in bold are in projected bracket. Bold number is projected seed.
| 1 | Oregon (1) |
| 2 | Texas (2) |
| 3 | Penn State (5) |
| 4 | Notre Dame (6) |
| 5 | Georgia (7) |
| 6 | Ohio State (8) |
| 7 | Tennessee (9) |
| 8 | SMU (3) |
| 9 | Indiana (10) |
| 10 | Boise State (4) |
| 11 | Alabama (11) |
| 12 | Miami |
| 13 | Ole Miss |
| 14 | South Carolina |
| 15 | Arizona State (12) |
| 16 | Iowa State |
| 17 | Clemson |
| 18 | BYU |
| 19 | Missouri |
| 20 | UNLV |
| 21 | Illinois |
| 22 | Syracuse |
| 23 | Colorado |
| 24 | Army |
| 25 | Memphis |
College Football Playoff bracket
Ohio State will sit on the sidelines this weekend and watch the conference championship games unfold. Five conference champions will be guaranteed spots in the 12-team playoff with four of them slated to earn byes into the quarterfinals.
Games kick off Friday when Boise State hosts UNLV in the Mountain West title match. The Broncos look to secure a bye in the first round while the Rebels have an outside shot with an upset. That same night, Army will host Tulane in the American Athletic title game as the Black Knights can give themselves a chance with a win and a Boise State loss.
Saturday will feature all Power Four title games beginning at noon with Iowa State and Arizona State in the Big 12 final. The winner will book a playoff berth. Georgia will then meet Texas in Atlanta for the Southeastern title at 4 p.m. with the victor securing a bye and the loser likely to play a first-round game.
The evening will be highlighted by the Atlantic Coast and Big Ten championship games. SMU will meet Clemson for the ACC title at 8 p.m. with the winner getting a bye and the loser waiting to see if they still make the tournament. Undefeated Oregon will take on Penn State at 8 p.m. for the Big Ten title in Indianapolis with the winner having a strong chance for the No. 1 seed in the final bracket.
College Football Playoff picture
Likely in: Oregon (12-0), Texas (11-1), Penn State (11-1), Notre Dame (11-1), Georgia (10-2), Ohio State (10-2), Tennessee (10-2), Indiana (11-1)
Win and in: SMU (11-1), Boise State (11-1), Arizona State (10-2), Iowa State (10-2), Clemson (9-3)
On the bubble: Alabama (9-3), Miami (10-2), South Carolina (9-3), Ole Miss (9-3), UNLV (10-2), Army (10-1)