Buckeyes jump over LSU to No. 1

Win over Penn St. returns them to Big Ten title game

Ohio State grabbed the top spot in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings, leapfrogging LSU to become the No. 1 team in the country.

The Buckeyes (11-0) outlasted then-No. 8 Penn State at home to clinch a spot in the Big Ten title game. The Tigers (11-0) dropped a spot despite beating Arkansas 56-20.

Utah and Oklahoma received help in their pursuit of the playoff semifinals thanks to Oregon’s stunning loss to Arizona State on Saturday. The Utes (10-1) rose a spot to No. 6 this week, while the Sooners (10-1) climbed two spots to No. 7.

LSU (11-0) dropped to No. 2 and was followed by No. 3 Clemson (11-0) and No. 4 Georgia (10-1).

Alabama (10-1) also remained steady at No. 5 after routing Western Carolina 66-3. The Crimson Tide travel to Auburn this weekend for a critical showdown that would keep Nick Saban’s team in the hunt for their sixth consecutive playoff semifinal appearance.

Oregon’s loss means Utah represents t he Pac-12’s best chance to get a team into the semifinals, with the Utes clinching a spot in the conference title game. The Ducks tumbled from sixth to No. 14.

While Oklahoma clinched a spot in the Big 12 title game, the Sooners have failed to pass the eye test, with the team struggling in wins over Baylor and TCU in consecutive weeks. Baylor (10-1) moved into the top 10 at No. 9.

This is the fourth of six weekly rankings released, with the final standings to be revealed Dec. 8. Those rankings will determine the four semifinalists along with the teams participating in the remainder of the New Year’s Six bowl games.

The two semifinals will take place in Atlanta at the Peach Bowl and in Glendale, Ariz., at the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 28.

The remaining New Year’s Six games will be hosted by the Cotton, Orange, Rose and Sugar bowls.

The top-ranked conference champion from the Group of 5 automatically earns a spot in one of the Access Bowl games.