Saturday Blitz
Fansided

College Football Rankings 2023: Projected AP Top 25 for Week 9

By Connor Muldowney

Oct 21, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman Kayden McDonald (56) celebrates during the second half of the NCAA football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won 20-12.
Oct 21, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman Kayden McDonald (56) celebrates during the second half of the NCAA football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won 20-12. /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
12 of 14
Next
Oct 21, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) scores a touchdown against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the fourth quarter at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 21, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) scores a touchdown against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the fourth quarter at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports /

Ohio State had one of the best defensive performances of the season, taking down Penn State on Saturday and holding the Nittany Lions under 200 yards. This had to be one of the more impressive defensive performances that any team has had this season.

The whole “soft” term to describe Ryan Day’s team is starting to truly wear off as they handled the No. 7 team in the nation.

Penn State couldn’t get anything going offensively until its final drive in the fourth quarter to trim a 14-point Ohio State lead down to seven. The Buckeyes never truly felt in danger of losing this game and the Buckeyes probably should’ve won by more, turning it over on downs at the 1-yard line.

Kyle McCord had yet another really strong showing and continues to exceed expectations.

I could see Ohio State moving up to No. 2 after beating a top-10 team relatively handily. But Michigan’s blowout may have been too impressive.

Home/College Football Rankings