How Ohio State Buckeyes can keep their No. 1 ranking through rest of season

How Ohio State can keep its No. 1 playoff ranking all the way through the rest of the season until the final poll is released on Dec. 7.

Nov 1, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day reacts during the third quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

On Tuesday night, the first College Football Poll came out, and Ohio State claimed the top spot as the No. 1 team in the rankings.

The Buckeyes have been the No. 1 team in the AP Poll ever since they beat Texas in Week 1, but it was encouraging to see them as the No. 1-ranked team in the playoff poll.

Ohio State still has four regular-season games left, along with a potential Big Ten title game. Here’s how it can stay at No. 1 all the way through until the College Football Playoff field is announced on Dec. 7.

The Buckeyes cannot afford to lose to Purdue, UCLA or Rutgers. All three teams are inferior opponents for Ohio State. However, it's worth noting that Purdue nearly upset Michigan on Saturday, losing a close game on the road with a score of 21-16, while UCLA pulled off an earlier victory against Penn State this season.

Ohio State has fallen to unranked teams like Purdue before, and even went back to last season when it fell to unranked Michigan in the final game of the season.

The Buckeyes can't look past Purdue, UCLA or Rutgers because they could get tripped up.

Another way Ohio State can maintain its No. 1 ranking is by finally beating Michigan. The Buckeyes haven't beaten the Wolverines since 2019, losing four straight seasons. COVID-19 caused the cancellation of the matchup in 2020.

From 2021 to 2023, the Wolverines boasted an outstanding team, managing to defeat the Buckeyes for three consecutive years. During this impressive run, Michigan not only made the playoffs each season but also clinched the national championship in 2023. However, last season's Ohio State-Michigan game took everyone by surprise. The Buckeyes, favored by over 20 points and playing on their home turf, were stunned by a 13-10 loss.

Michigan will host the matchup this season, and it's a more formidable challenge than the team that beat Ohio State last year, so the Buckeyes will need to bring their A-game if they want to break the streak of losing to Michigan.

The last way Ohio State can keep the No. 1 ranking is by winning the Big Ten title game, possibly beating No. 2 Indiana. The Hoosiers are 9-0 with three games left against Penn State, Wisconsin and Purdue.

If Indiana wins its remaining games and Ohio State does the same, there could be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in the Big Ten Championship Game. Should the Buckeyes come out on top, they will secure the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoffs.