Ohio State No. 2 in playoff rankings before facing No. 3 Michigan

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — The Buckeyes are preparing for its biggest game of the season this week at Michigan, and for the second year in a row, they enter as the higher-ranked team.

Ohio State (11-0, 8-0) was ranked No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday after a dominant 37-3 win over Minnesota . The 11-0 Wolverines were ranked No. 3 after its closest game of the season, a 31-24 win at Maryland . The final two teams in the top-four spots are No. 1 Georgia and No. 4 Washington, which leaped over No. 5 Florida State.

If the season ended today, the Buckeyes would play Michigan in a semifinal. The semifinals will be played on New Year’s Day 2024 at the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl. The national championship game will be on Jan. 8 in Houston.

College Football Playoff rankings (Nov. 21, 2023)

This is the second consecutive season both Ohio State and Michigan enter its annual contest with 11-0 records and are playing for a spot in the Big Ten championship game. The winner will play Iowa in the conference title game on Dec. 2 in Indianapolis, a trip the Buckeyes have not made since 2019.

The loser will anxiously wait to see if needed results from conference title games occur that could put them back into the top four, a scenario that happened to the Buckeyes last year after losing to Michigan.

The first two teams out of the playoff are No. 5 Florida State and No. 6 Oregon. The Ducks will be among eight teams who will play for a spot in a power five conference title game next week.

Atlantic Coast Conference: Louisville vs. Florida State

Big 12: Texas/Oklahoma State/Oklahoma/Kansas State

Big Ten: Iowa vs. Ohio State/Michigan

Southeastern Conference: Alabama vs. Georgia

Pac-12: Washington vs. Oregon/Arizona