There's probably no doubt any longer that the Ohio State Buckeyes are the best team in the country. CBS Sports' David Cobb didn't think twice about labeling OSU a better team than their fellow unbeaten Indiana Hoosiers, who defeated the Maryland Terrapins 55-10 in College Park on Saturday, and the TAMU Aggies, who were on their bye week, after a 38-14 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Cobb believes the Buckeyes' second-half pull-away from the Nittany Lions singlehandedly earned them the No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff Selection Committee's first rankings on November 4.
"Ohio State has a firm grip on No. 1 in the AP poll, and that won't be changing after its 38-14 win over Penn State. There is some mystery over whether the Buckeyes will be No. 1 in the debut batch of College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday, however. Indiana and Texas A&M are also undefeated and in the mix heading into the initial rankings release."
"But if the CFP Selection Committee members watching the second half of the Buckeyes' win over the Nittany Lions, they'll have trouble slotting Ohio State anywhere other than No. 1. Ohio State's elite aerial attack and stifling defense showed up in a dominant team effort that underscored why the Buckeyes are the betting favorite to win their second straight national title." Cobb wrote.
Truthfully, being named No. 1 just a week into November doesn't mean much. This is a long month, with five weeks, and OSU still has four matchups left with the Purdue Boilermakers, UCLA Bruins, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and TTUN.
Still, it speaks to Ryan Day as a leader that he's been able to keep his team focused during a championship defense campaign, notoriously one of the toughest situations for a team to reach the mountaintop.
Especially in the NIL era, when players hit the transfer portal more often than ever.
Amid a season of surprise collapses, buyouts, out-of-nowhere emergences, Ohio State is a calming constant. The Buckeyes are the familiar powerhouse chasing perfection, while the rest of the country is chasing them.
That last part is key for IU and TAMU. No matter where they end up ranked, they're chasing OSU until the crown is on someone else's head.