Ohio State jumps to No. 2 with rout of Michigan State

Ohio State is No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll, surging three spots Sunday past No. 3 Alabama and No. 4 Cincinnati in a close vote.

Georgia is a unanimous No. 1 in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank for the seventh consecutive week, but for the second week in a row, No. 2 has changed.

Alabama slipped past Cincinnati last week and then

Ohio State leapfrogged them both after routing Michigan State, 56-7. The Buckeyes received 1,434 points from the media panel. The Crimson Tide had 1,423 and the Bearcats got 1,416.

Notre Dame is up to a season-high No. 5 and Michigan will go into its game against Ohio State next Saturday ranked No. 6. The winner of Buckeyes-Wolverines will play in the Big Ten championship game.

Oklahoma State moved to a season-high No. 7 and is one of three teams from the Big 12 residing in the back half of the top 10, along with No. 9 Baylor and No. 10 Oklahoma.

The Cowboys host the Sooners next Saturday in a Bedlam game that will help decide the Big 12 championship participants. Oklahoma State has clinched a spot, and Baylor and Oklahoma are still alive.

Mississippi rounds out the top 10 at No. 8.

Poll points

Michigan State was one of two teams ranked in the top 10 last week to get blown out Saturday.

The Spartans dropped five spots to 12th after losing to Ohio State, and Oregon fell from fourth to 11th after getting pounded, 38-7, by Utah. The Utes moved up eight spots to No. 16.

The last time two top-10 teams lost by 30 or more points on the same day was Sept. 22, 1984, when No. 15 Florida State beat No. 4 Miami, 38-3, and No. 1 Nebraska beat No. 8 UCLA, 42-3.

Four ranked teams lost in total, with Wake Forest and Arkansas joining Oregon and Michigan State. The Demon Deacons were the only ranked team to lose to an unranked team. Wake’s lopsided loss at Clemsondropped the Deacons eight spots to No. 21.

No. 25 Arkansas fell four spots after losing at Alabama by a touchdown, narrowly keepingClemson from returning to the Top 25 for the first time since the last weekend of September. The Razorbacks received 105 points to Clemson’s 101.

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