COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio State and Cincinnati both moved up one spot in the second edition of the College Football Playoff poll. The Buckeyes rank No. 4 while the Bearcats rank No. 5.
Top 4
- Georgia
- Alabama
- Oregon
- Ohio State
Ohio State escaped Nebraska (3-7) with a 26-17 while Cincinnati nearly lost its undefeated season, narrowly beating Tulsa 28-20.
Alabama and Oregon also survived close games last weekend with the Crimson Tide edging out LSU (4-5) 20-14 and Oregon beating Washington (4-5) 26-16.
Ohio State settled for four field goals for a second week in a row, turned the ball over twice and rushed for less than 100 yards for the first time since Oct. 20, 2018 when the Buckeyes lost to Purdue 49-20.
The Buckeyes now prepare for the No. 19 Boilermakers, who upset previously undefeated Michigan State, causing the Spartans to fall four spots to No. 7 in the CFP poll.
Meanwhile, Michigan moved up a spot to No. 6 ahead of Michigan State despite the Spartans head-to-head win over the Wolverines two weeks ago.
Cincinnati struggles
The Bearcats only led Tulsa 14-12 at halftime, similar to the Buckeyes who led the Golden Hurricane 13-6 after two quarters.
UC scored the next 14 points before allowing Tulsa (3-6) to score a touchdown with 4:11 left in the game. Cincinnati punted away after that drive, giving Tulsa a chance to tie the Bearcats. The Golden Hurricane marched 71 yards down the field but were stopped inches short on a 4th and 5 pass at the UC two-yard line with 1:14 left in the game.
Cincinnati needed to run to expire the clock but quarterback Desmond Ridder fumbled on the very next play to once again give Tulsa a chance to force overtime.
The Golden Hurricane failed to score on the first three plays, setting up a decisive 4th and goal inside the one-yard line. Tulsa’s Steven Anderson got the hand off and started reaching or the end zone but lost control of the ball, which rolled into the end zone where it was recovered for the Bearcats with 36 seconds left to keep their undefeated season alive.
This is the second time this season the Bearcats have beat a losing team by eight points or less.
