After an impressive second game by Ohio State, ESPN shook up their power rankings and moved the Buckeyes up one spot. Last week ESPN had Ohio State at No. 3, but a close game between Clemson and Boston College without Trevor Lawrence dropped the Tigers down a couple of spots to No. 4. Clemson will try to soldier on without Lawrence when they go to South Bend and take on ESPN’s No. 3 team, Notre Dame.

Moving up to the No. 1 slot was Mac Jones and Alabama. However, the Buckeyes being second after only two games is certainly a story in itself. ESPN has been high on Ohio State all offseason, but OSU knocking on the door to the No. 1 slot after just two weeks speaks volumes for how good this team has been.

With Justin Fields absolutely lighting up the field in the passing game, the defense shutting down two solid teams, and the offensive weapons showing up early this season, it all leads to the Buckeyes being a favorite of ESPN. As long as this team keeps winning and winning convincingly, there is no reason to think it will drop. On to week three, or is it ten. No matter, just keep taking care of business.

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After the top four teams, Georgia (5), Cincinnati (6), BYU (7), Indiana (8), Texas A&M (9), and BYU (10) round out the top ten.

NEXT … What ESPN says about Ohio State

After one game ESPN stood fast, keeping Ohio State as the third team in its power rankings. Last week, the Buckeyes were in third, up one spot, behind Alabama and Clemson. The rankings reiterated what we all knew: Justin Fields is really, really good.

With Jaylen Waddle going down for the season at Alabama, it could cost the Tide a bit in future rankings if the offense drops off a little. Mac Jones has played really well for the Crimson Tide, but not having Waddle could end up hurting Alabama against better teams.

Clemson has played well this year, and while it has not really been tested, nothing says the Tigers will drop anytime soon. They still have a looming game with Notre Dame and a feisty Virginia Tech, but baring a surprise, Clemson should be in the top two for the rest of the season.

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As the Nov. 7 showdown with Clemson draws closer, Notre Dame continues to climb @ClowESPN's power rankings ➡️ https://t.co/GdaXvJgsid pic.twitter.com/or53iLI16g

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 25, 2020

However, Ohio State sitting at three is a solid place to be, and a huge win against a reeling, albeit angry, Penn State could help this week. If Justin Fields continues to perform as he did against Nebraska, then there is no reason to think the Buckeyes shouldn’t stay in the top three — at a minimum.

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Finally, mercifully, we are officially in game week mode for Ohio State football. After a start, stop, then start again offseason, we’ve finally got a full slate of Big Ten games on tap for this weekend.

And while Ohio State should have a whale of a team this year, the national media has been on a kind of wait and see mode with the Buckeyes, all while Alabama and Clemson look like Alabama and Clemson yet again.

ESPN’s Chris Low has been publishing his weekly college football Power Rankings throughout the season, and so far he’s had the Buckeyes up in the top five without seeing any product on the field. That continued after week seven of the college football schedule, but OSU even moved up a spot with the Georgia loss (I know, shocking).

Now, instead of Ohio State appearing at No. 4, Low has the Buckeyes just behind the Tigers and Tide and No. 3, sitting in the waiting room, just looking to make a statement.

Behind those three, rounding out the top ten include Georgia (4), Penn State (5), Notre Dame (6), Oklahoma State (7), Cincinnati (8), BYU (9), and Oregon (10).

We’ve been high on this Buckeye squad since the offseason and expect it to come out swinging on Saturday against Nebraska. After that, we’ll see where Low has OSU going into next week and beyond.

For now, though, here’s what Low says about Ohio State.

NEXT … The early ESPN narrative on the Buckeyes

Each week, ESPN’s Chris Lowe jostles his list of college football teams based on how he believes they look or how good he perceives they are (especially in the case of idle Ohio State).

After college football’s fifth week of games, he has updated those power rankings and he still has the Buckeyes near the top, but not No. 1 like the worldwide leader’s SP+ Rankings. Still, he’s got OSU ranked higher than a lot of other media sites and members that have begun to let recent performance on the field jade their view of how good Ohio State is.

The Buckeyes might be first in our hearts, but they’re not at the top of the pile according to Lowe. But where does the ESPN writer have OSU after this past weekend?

NEXT … Ohio State’s rank in ESPN’s Power Rankings