Ohio State returns to No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports NCAA Re-Rank 1-136, replacing Indiana after the Hoosiers struggled to pull out a last-second win against Penn State in Week 11 of the college football season.
The razor-thin margin separating the two best teams in the Big Ten comes down to the Buckeyes’ stunning amount of game control in conference play. All six conference wins, four on the road, have come by at least 18 points while the Hoosiers have a pair of single-digit road wins against Iowa and the Nittany Lions.
Indiana ranks 10th in the Bowl Subdivision with 7.02 yards per play. The Buckeyes are two spots behind at 6.99 yards per play. The Ohio State passing game is more productive, ranking second in the Power Four with 9.9 yards per pass and leading the nation in completing 80.5% of attempts.
Defensively, the Buckeyes leads the FBS in allowing 211.5 yards per game and 3.8 yards per play. Indiana isn’t far behind, though, ranking fifth with 257.1 yards per play and tied for 13th with 4.62 yards per play.
The overall gap might be microscopic — but it’s a comparison the Buckeyes win. Texas A&M remains a somewhat distant No. 3 after sending another road crowd home early in a 38-17 win against Missouri. Next comes No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Georgia, No. 6 Oregon, No. 7 Mississippi and then No. 8 Texas Tech, which moves up one spot after beating Brigham Young 29-7.
One team making a noticeable climb in this week’s re-rank is No. 10 Texas, which rises five spots and moves ahead of No. 11 Oklahoma, No. 12 Georgia Tech and No. 13 Vanderbilt. The Longhorns have wins against the Sooners and Commodores.