College Football Playoff: Ohio State, Cincinnati both a spot higher in second rankings

Last week, Ohio State was No. 5 while UC was sixth.

The Buckeyes and Bearcats both won relatively close games over big underdogs last week with the Buckeyes going to Nebraska and winning 26-17 while UC beat Tulsa 28-20 at Nippert Stadium.

Georgia won easily over Missouri while Alabama had a tougher-than-expected 20-14 win over LSU.

Ohio State, a 35-28 loser to Oregon in the second week of the season, will have a chance to pick up a win over a ranked opponent this week when No. 19 Purdue comes to Columbus.

The Buckeyes play host to No. 7 Michigan State next week. Then Ohio State finishes the regular season at No. 6 Michigan.

Cincinnati’s big win on the season is over Notre Dame, the No. 9 team this week.

When ESPN’s College GameDay crew came to Cincinnati, the panel said they believe the Bearcats will make the playoffs. David Pollack, drafted in the first round by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2005, said UC should have been ranked higher than Ohio State in the first rankings, our media partner WCPO-TV reported.

Kirk Herbstreit, an Ohio State grad who attended Centerville High School south of Dayton and grew up a Cincinnati sports fan, said he still thinks UC will be among the final four once the season ends.

“I think in the end it will be Ohio State, Georgia … and UC,” Herbstreit said.