The Ohio State football team has been a monster in the ESPN SP+ rankings (subscription required) over the last few years, but that changed just a wee bit just before and after the first game of the 2022 season vs. Notre Dame. The Buckeyes didn’t exactly drop off a cliff but weren’t up as high as what we’ve seen in the past.
But slowly and surely, Ohio State has been climbing in the SP+ rankings. But before we tell you where OSU is after Week 6, let’s remember what these ratings mean from the ESPN resident analytics expert, Bill Connelly. According to him, SP+ rankings are somewhat straight-forward
“SP+ is a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency … SP+ is intended to be predictive and forward-facing. It is not a résumé ranking that gives credit for big wins or particularly brave scheduling — no good predictive system is. It is simply a measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football. If you’re lucky or unimpressive in a win, your rating will probably fall. If you’re strong and unlucky in a loss, it will probably rise.
OK, now that you are clear on that (sort of), here’s what the top 25 of the SP+ rankings are after Week 6 and where Ohio State landed (hint, the Buckeyes have risen).