With five teams from last week’s AP top 25 losing Saturday, including two of the top six squads, this week’s new rankings were bound to include some notable changes. Sure enough, they did, as Alabama was the only top-five team to remain in its same spot (No. 1, of course). Here are the three biggest takeaways from the AP poll after Week 8: 1. As expected Ohio State isn’t out of the playoff hunt There was an immediate rush of caution to avoid overstating the impact of the Buckeyes’ stunning loss to Penn State on Saturday night. After all, Ohio State made the College Football Playoff two years earlier with a worse loss to Virginia Tech at home, so surely it could overcome a three-point road defeat to the Nittany Lions. Sunday’s poll confirms why that caution was warranted. Although playoff selection committee has no obligation to factor in or even look at the AP poll, the committee members will likely come to a similar conclusion as the AP poll voters, who ranked Ohio State No. 6 this week. Even with a close loss in a hostile road environment, the Buckeyes are still clearly a top-10 team. They’ve blown out…
Continue Reading: Ohio State falls to No. 6 in AP poll after losing to Penn State
