Ohio State is very unlikely to drop more than a spot or two and is expected to stay firmly inside the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings.

Current context

Ohio State just lost to Indiana for the Big Ten title but still owns a strong overall résumé, including marquee wins and only a narrow defeat to the new No. 1 team. Coverage of the CFP race indicates that Ohio State “won’t drop below No. 4 in any scenario,” meaning they remain in position for a first‑round bye in the 12‑team playoff.

Likely ranking range

National outlets projecting the final CFP top 12 have discussed Ohio State sliding from No. 1 to somewhere in the 2–3 range because of strength‑of‑schedule comparisons and the head‑to‑head result with Indiana. Local reporting after championship weekend notes that Ohio State has effectively “locked up” a No. 2 seed in the CFP bracket, confirming that any drop will be small and will not push them out of the top four.