Sep 2, 2025 - Sports

The Buckeyes are back on top after beating Texas

Andrew King

Brutus Buckeye puts up a "No. 1" finger before Ohio State's win over Texas at Ohio Stadium — Brutus Buckeye told the crowd where OSU would be ranked after its win over Texas. Photo: Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It only took one week for the defending champs to return to the top of the college football rankings.

Driving the news: In the marquee opener Saturday, the Buckeyes knocked off top-ranked Texas 14-7 in a rematch of last season's College Football Playoff semifinal.

On Tuesday, the Buckeyes jumped from No. 3 to the top of AP's Top 25 poll, leapfrogging No. 2 Penn State.
Texas fell to No. 7.

Stunning stat: It's the first time OSU has led a midseason AP poll since November 2015.

The Buckeyes have reached No. 2 in dozens of polls since, and were No. 1 in the season-concluding poll after winning the title in January.

What's next: The No. 1 ranking comes with a target — but OSU should be able to breathe for a few weeks.

The upcoming four games are against unranked opponents in Grambling State, Ohio, Washington and Minnesota.
OSU's next big test is Oct. 11 at No. 11 Illinois.

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The Buckeyes are back on top after beating Texas

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