Ohio State Drops to No. 7 Despite 59-3 Blowout: What It Means for the Buckeyes' Playoff Hopes

Ryan Day's Ohio State Buckeyes are 2-1 after a dominant 59-3 win over Kent State, yet they slid one more spot in the AP Top 25 poll to No. 7. The drop comes despite the Buckeyes outscoring their first three opponents 138-30, and it signals that voters are weighing the strength of schedule more heavily than blowout margins.

Ohio State opened the 2026 season at No. 1 with 40 first-place votes. A one-point road loss to Texas in Week 2 dropped them to No. 6, their first time outside the top five since late 2024. Now, after a 56-point win over a Mid-American Conference opponent, they have fallen again.

Why Did Ohio State Fall After a 59-3 Win?

The drop was not about the Kent State score. Ole Miss jumped from No. 8 to No. 4 after beating then-No. 7 LSU 32-24. That single result pushed Indiana to No. 5, Miami to No. 6, and Ohio State to No. 7.

Kent State is a weak Mid-American team, and voters already expected a top-10 program to win that game easily. Ole Miss now has two ranked wins, over Louisville and LSU, which is the strongest record in the country right now. Ohio State's only loss is a one-point defeat on the road to the current No. 1 team. It is a quality loss, but it is still a loss.

The Buckeyes received 1,415 points and zero first-place votes. Three voters ranked them as high as No. 2, while three others ranked them as low as No. 8. After Week 2, Ohio State had received 1,407 points, meaning other teams gained more ground despite the blowout.

Ohio State's Ranking in Recent Years

For Ohio State, No. 7 is their lowest regular-season spot this early in a season in quite a while. They reached No. 7 late in 2021 and finished No. 7 in the 2023 final poll. Their 2023 year-end rank of No. 10 was their lowest since 2013. In 2025, they spent most of the year at No. 1 and finished No. 5. In 2024, they finished No. 1 as national champions.

Ohio State was the first program to appear in 1,000 AP Top 25 polls. They have spent 122 weeks at No. 1, second only to Alabama, and have been ranked in at least one AP poll for 58 straight seasons. Since Day took over in 2019, the Buckeyes have lived mostly in the top five or six, making this early-season slide unusual.

What's Next for the Buckeyes?

Next up is Illinois on September 26 at Ohio Stadium. Illinois is 2-1 and unranked after beating UAB and Southern Illinois and losing to Duke. Ohio State has won the last nine official meetings and 10 straight home games. Illinois last beat them in Columbus in 2007.

A win over Illinois is expected, but it will not push Ohio State back into the top five. Movement will depend more on what happens to the teams now ranked No. 4 through No. 6. Texas's game against Tennessee can also affect the top 7.

If the No. 14 Vols manage to beat the Longhorns at Knoxville, it may jump Josh Heupel's team into the top 10. However, since it is a ranked matchup and Texas already has a great win on the record, the drop may not be substantial enough to affect Ohio State's position.

Bigger Chances to Climb Later in the Season

Bigger chances to climb come later for Ohio State at Iowa, at Indiana, at USC, against Oregon, and against Michigan. The Coaches Poll also has Ohio State at No. 7 with 1,473 points. The 59-3 score did not simply move the needle this week.

For Iowa fans, the October 10 matchup in Iowa City looms large. The Hawkeyes will have a chance to make a statement against a top-10 program, and Ohio State will need to prove they belong in the College Football Playoff conversation. The head-to-head question will only come into the picture when the committee sits to decide the final 12.

What Does This Mean for the College Football Playoff?

Ohio State's path to the playoff remains intact, but the margin for error is shrinking. With the expanded 12-team format, a No. 7 ranking still puts them comfortably in the field. However, another loss would put their at-large hopes in serious jeopardy.

The Buckeyes have scored 138 points and allowed 30 this season. The two wins were 56-3 over Ball State and 59-3 over Kent State. The combined margin against those two teams was 115-6. They gave up their only points in the loss to Texas.

Voters are clearly rewarding teams with multiple ranked wins over teams with blowout victories over weak opponents. Ohio State will need marquee wins down the stretch to climb back into the top five and secure a favorable playoff seed.