Ohio State keeps No. 1 spot in rankings as one of two undefeated Big Ten teams
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Buckeyes' 34-16 win over former No. 17 Illinois kept the Illibuck trophy in Columbus and kept the team No. 1 in the nation.
Ohio State (6-0, 3-0) is now bowl eligible and maintains its status as the No. 1 ranked team in college football's AP and coaches rankings. The 18-point victory over the Fighting Illini, which extends OSU's winning streak over ranked opponents to eight, keeps the Buckeyes as one of 11 remaining undefeated teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
The other undefeated teams are Navy, Memphis, Georgia Tech, Miami, BYU, Texas Tech, UNLV, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and one other from the Big Ten.
The No. 3 Indiana Hoosiers handed now No. 8 Oregon its first Big Ten loss since the Ducks joined the conference in 2024 to stay unbeaten. The Buckeyes and Hoosiers do not play each other this season but are on a crash course towards the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game in December.
Thanks to other upsets around the Big Ten, Ohio State and Indiana do not have any ranked opponents in their schedules for the remainder of the season. Towards the bottom of the rankings is No. 24 Cincinnati of the Big 12, who has won five straight and is in the running for the conference's title.
2025 Associated Press rankings (Oct. 12, 2025)
| 1 | Ohio State (650) |
| 2 | Miami (13) |
| 3 | Indiana (3) |
| 4 | Texas A&M |
| 5 | Ole Miss |
| 6 | Alabama |
| 7 | Texas Tech |
| 8 | Oregon |
| 9 | Georgia |
| 10 | LSU |
| 11 | Tennessee |
| 12 | Georgia Tech |
| 13 | Notre Dame |
| 14 | Oklahoma |
| 15 | BYU |
| 16 | Missouri |
| 17 | Vanderbilt |
| 18 | Virginia |
| 19 | South Florida |
| 20 | USC |
| 21 | Texas |
| 22 | Memphis |
| 23 | Utah |
| 24 | Cincinnati |
| 25 | Nebraska |
The Buckeyes' new projected opponent for the College Football Playoff using this week's rankings is the winner of a first round game between No. 8 Oregon and No. 9 Georgia in a quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl.
Ohio State looks to move to 7-0 on Saturday when it travels to play Wisconsin at 3:30 p.m. That game will be the last for the Buckeyes in the month of October. After a bye week to conclude October, Ohio State will host struggling Penn State on Nov. 1. A kickoff time has yet to be announced.