![Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud drops back to pass against Michigan State during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. [Jay LaPrete / AP]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/188006d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x551+0+0/resize/840x472!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fimages%2Fnews%2Fnpr%2F2021%2F11%2FCJ-Stroud-OSU-AP21324692167179.jpg)
Ohio State is second in the latest college football playoff rankings. The Buckeyes rose three spots from the previous poll after a rout of Michigan State last weekend.
Georgia once again tops the rankings, followed by Ohio State, Alabama and Cincinnati. The top four teams at the end of the season will advance to the playoffs.
The Bearcats appearance in the top marks the first time ever that a team outside the so-called Power 5 conferences has done so. Before this season, no non-Power Five team had ever been ranked better than seventh by the CFP selection committee.
OSU next plays at arch-rival Michigan on Saturday. The winner will play in the Big Ten Championship game on December 4 in Indianapolis.
Michigan is fifth heading followed by Notre Dame at sixth.
A team from outside the Power Five conferences has never been selected for the semifinals in the previous seven years of the CFP.
Heading into the final full weekend of regular season games, Cincinnati seems to have a realistic path to a playoff spot no matter what happens around the Bearcats — as long as they win out.
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