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Michigan moves back up in college football poll after beating Ohio State

Published

9 months ago

November 26, 2023

Michigan moves back up in college football poll after beating Ohio State

Ralph D. Russo
| AP College Football Writer

No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Florida State and No. 5 Oregon all moved up a spot in The Associated Press college football poll Sunday, giving the Pac-12 two top-five teams for the first time since the final ranking of the 2016 season.

Georgia remained No. 1 as the two-time defending national champions have been for 24 straight polls, dating back to the middle of the last season. The Bulldogs received 52 of 62 first-place votes.

Michigan returned to No. 2 following a week at No. 3 and received 10 first-place votes after beating Ohio State 30-24 in Ann Arbor on Saturday.

The Buckeyes slipped from second to No. 6, clearing the way for Washington to reach its best ranking since finishing the 2000 season at No. 3 and setting up a top-five matchup with Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game on Friday in Las Vegas.

The final Pac-12 championship game in the conference’s current form before 10 members leave for other Power Five conferences will be its first matching top-five teams.

The last time there were two Pac-12 teams in the top five of the AP poll was 2016, when Southern California finished No. 3 and Washington No. 4. The last time it happened during the season was Oct. 6, 2013, when Oregon was No. 2 and Stanford was fifth.

No. 7 Texas and No. 8 Alabama held their places Sunday. Missouri moved up one spot to ninth and Penn State to No. 10.

Poll points

The same eight teams have been the top eight teams in the country for five straight weeks, with the only loss among those teams during that span being Ohio State’s to Michigan.

The last time there was no team turnover in the top eight for that long was 2008 in Weeks 11-15. That year Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, USC, Penn State, Utah and Texas Tech held the top eight spots in some order for five weeks.

Among the top eight teams there are only four losses, one each for Oregon, Ohio State, Texas and Alabama. Of those four losses, three have come to other teams in the top eight: Oregon lost to Washington, Ohio State lost to Michigan and Alabama lost to Texas.

Texas’ loss came to No. 12 Oklahoma. Extend it out to the top 12 to include No. 11 Mississippi and the only loss to a currently unranked team among that group is Oklahoma’s to Kansas.

In-n-out

North Carolina State and SMU made their AP Top 25 season debuts this week, raising to 44 the total number of teams to be ranked for at least a week this season.

Falling out for the first time this season was Tennessee, which finished its regular season 8-4 with a victory over Vanderbilt after barely hanging on at No. 25 last week.

Kansas State also dropped out again after losing a high-scoring game in the snow to Iowa State.

Conference call

Five teams from non-Power Five conferences in the AP Top 25 is the most since the final 2021 poll.

SEC – 5 (Nos. 1, 8, 9, 11, 13).

Pac-12 – 4 (Nos. 3, 5, 14, 21-tie).

Big Ten – 4 (Nos. 2, 6, 10, 18).

ACC – 3 (Nos. 4, 15, 21-tie).

Big 12 – 3 (Nos. 7, 12, 19).

American – 2 (Nos. 17, 25).

Conference USA – 1 (No. 20).

Sun Belt – 1 (No. 24).

Mid-American – 1 (No. 23).

Independent – 1 (No. 16).

Ranked vs. ranked

– No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 1 Georgia in Atlanta, Southeastern Conference championship.

– No. 18 Iowa vs. No. 2 Michigan in Indianapolis, Big Ten championship.

– No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 3 Washington in Las Vegas, Pac-12 championship.

– No. 15 Louisville vs. No. 4 Florida State in Charlotte, North Carolina, Atlantic Coast Conference championship.

– No. 19 Oklahoma State vs. No. 7 Texas in Arlington, Texas, Big 12 championship.

– No. 25 SMU at No. 17 Tulane, American Athletic Conference championship.

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Photos from Ohio State's 52-6 Victory over Akron

Published

8 hours ago

September 1, 2024

Press Room

Photos from Ohio State's 52-6 Victory over Akron

It wasn’t always pretty, but Ohio State eventually cruised to a 52-6 season-opening win against Akron on Saturday.

Freshman Jeremiah Smith dazzled in his Ohio State debut, catching six passes for 92 yards with two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Will Howard completed 17 of 28 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns in his first start as a Buckeye.

The defense created all kinds of havoc, scoring two defensive touchdowns and recording five sacks and two interceptions.

Eleven Warriors was on hand to capture the action and you can view more than 130 photos in our photo gallery at the top of the page.

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Ohio State Buckeyes Paying Akron This Massive Amount For Season Opener

Published

18 hours ago

August 31, 2024

Press Room

Ohio State Buckeyes Paying Akron This Massive Amount For Season Opener

The Ohio State Buckeyes are hosting the Akron Zips in their season opener on Saturday, and they paid Akron a handsome sum in order to make it happen.

According to Brett McMurphy of Action Network, Ohio State has given Akron $1.8 million to visit Columbus in Week 1 of the 2024 college football campaign.

That is tied for the third-highest amount that a school is paying a visiting team this year. The Buckeyes are also handing Western Michigan $1.8 million to make the trip to Ohio Stadium next weekend.

The matchup against Akron will (hopefully) just be a tune up for an Ohio State squad that is aiming to win its first national championship in a decade.

The Buckeyes are entering the season as the No. 2-ranked team in the country behind the Georgia Bulldogs and are viewed by many as the most talented club in the nation.

Ohio State is looking to erase the memory of what have been several disappointing seasons in a row. Last year, the Buckeyes made it to the Cotton Bowl, where they lost to the Missouri Tigers. They also fell to the archrival Michigan Wolverines for the third straight year.

Along with winning a national title, beating Michigan is the No. 1 goal for Ohio State every season, so the fact that the Buckeyes have come up short in that department for three consecutive campaigns is certainly weighing heavily on the minds of the Columbus faithful.

We’ll see if Ohio State can start with a bang in 2024 by hammering Akron.

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#2 Ohio State vs. Akron FREE STREAM: How to watch today

Published

1 day ago

August 31, 2024

Press Room

#2 Ohio State vs. Akron FREE STREAM: How to watch today

COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 2 Ohio State opens up their college football season with a matchup against the Akron Zips today – Saturday, Aug. 31 – at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. This game is available on multiple streaming services for free.

This game will broadcast live on CBS at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. Fans without cable can catch the game at no cost via FuboTV or DirecTV Stream, which both offer free trials. Another option is SlingTV, which has promotional offers for new customers.

Want to see the Buckeyes live? Buy tickets for this game or every Ohio State football game this season.

This game will also stream on Paramount Plus, which offers a free trial. If you want to stick with it, the service offers the essential package for $5.99 a month and the premium package for $11.99 a month.

The Buckeyes are coming off a familiar scene of a powerful campaign that fell short of stratospheric expectations. Eleven wins is not good enough in scarlet and gray country. Ohio State suffered a third straight loss to Michigan and looked hamstrung against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl.

They turn the page once again after an offseason unlike any other with massive changes, a roster overhaul and monstrous additions in the Big Ten.

The most intriguing piece is the addition of newly-minted starter Will Howard. The former Kansas State Wildcat is coming off a career-year and ready to etch his name in OSU quarterback lore. That journey begins today.

After the shocking decision by running backs coach Tony Alford to leave OSU for rival Michigan, the running back room was also bolstered after former back Dallan Hayden left for Colorado. Already with bruiser TreVeyon Henderson in tow, Ryan Day grabbed former Ole Miss stud Quinshon Judkins, giving OSU arguably the best 1-2 backfield punch in college football.

In 2023, Judkins compiled 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns while Henderson hammered out 926 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The receivers are reloaded with sensational freshman Jeremiah Smith expected to grab the nation’s attention early. Emeka Egbuka also figures to turn some heads. Keep an eye on Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss, who will get plenty of run in a game like this.

It will be the first look at offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s offense. Will it be pass heavy, run heavy, or the perfect blend of firepower?

With nine returning starters from a group that was second in points allowed (11.23) and third in yards allowed per game, the defense looks nastier than ever in Jim Knowles’ third year. The group is spearheaded by the menacing line presence of J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer. Don’t forget about former Alabama All-American safety transfer Caleb Downs. The group is simply saturated with talent at every angle.

The Buckeyes have won 24 consecutive season-openers. It’s only the 10th time the teams have played each other. The Zips do have one win over Ohio State to their credit. You’ll have to trek back to 1894.

Watch Ohio State vs. Akron on FuboTV for free

The Zips are coming off a disastrous 2-10 showing from last year. The defense allowed 28 points per game and were 123rd in turnovers forced (11).

Akron lost their top rusher and top two wide receivers. Quarterback Ben Finley, A Cal transfer, has Zips fans expecting brighter days ahead, though they might not be this week.

Running back Charles Kellom and receiver Adrian Norton are the biggest threats on offense while Antavious Fish and Bryan McCoy headline the defense. The duo combined for 189 tackles last season. CJ Nunnally IV is also back after racking up seven sacks and one forced fumble in 2023.

Watch Ohio State vs. Akron for free on DirecTV Stream

Who is announcing Ohio State vs. Akron?

Brad Nessler (play-by-play) and Gary Danielson (analyst) will be the announcers while Jenny Dell reports from the sidelines.

What is Paramount Plus?

Paramount Plus is a subscription video on-demand streaming service. It includes programs from CBS, BET an, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, MTV and others. You can watch Buckeyes games on CBS for free on Paramount Plus, which offers a free trial for first-time subscribers. After the free trial is up, the streaming service offers the essential package for $5.99 a month and the premium package for $11.99 a month.