Ohio State football earns its lowest ranking in CFP history

Ohio State football's College Football Playoff hopes continue to dwindle following its third loss of the season.In the second CFP rankings of the season, released on Nov. 10, the Buckeyes (6-3) dropped eight spots to No. 20, their lowest ranking since the playoffs began in 2014. Ohio State's previous low was No. 16.The Buckeyes fell to Oregon 41-28 at home just seven days after USC defeated them 30-18 on the road. No team with three regular-season losses has ever made the College Football Playoff.To earn an at-large bid, the Buckeyes likely have to be ranked in the top 11, as one Group of 6 team has to make the 12-team field, according to new CFP guidelines, and No. 24 Boise State is currently in position to take that spot.The more plausible playoff route for Ohio State is getting the automatic bid awarded to the Big Ten champion. But the Buckeyes' most likely path to the title game involves OSU winning out while USC records two losses and Oregon suffers a loss. Another possibility is that either Indiana falls for a second time in conference play or UCLA drops two of its final three games.Ohio State has made seven of the 12 College Football Playoffs, winning the championship during the inaugural 2014 season and in 2024, the first year the bracket was 12 teams.On Nov. 9, ESPN and the College Football Playoff announced the field is expanding to 24 teams for the 2027 season..oembed-frame {width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;border:0;}bmackay@dispatch.com@brimackay15This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football earns its lowest ranking in CFP history