The Week 3 AP Top 25 is out, and the headline is steady. Ohio State remains No. 1, while Notre Dame plunges 16 spots to No. 24 after an 0-2 start, the program’s first ranked 0-2 since 1988, and both Miami and Georgia inch up a place to Nos. 4 and 5, respectively. The devil, however, is in the details of the ballots, where 11 first-place votes drifted away from the Buckeyes to a pack of pursuers despite Ohio State’s wire-to-wire hold on No. 1 since Week 1.

Those votes are split among Penn State (5), Miami (3), LSU (2), and Oregon (1), showing fresh intrigue at the top while the overall margin still clearly favors the reigning champs in Columbus. In other words, the poll’s top line isn’t shocking, but the subtext says the chase is on. No. 1 Ohio State still commands the room with 55 first-place votes and signature control, including the Week 1 win over then-No. 1 Texas and a 37-9 cruise past Ohio, the latest example of Ryan Day’s roster depth showing up on routine Saturdays. Georgia is firmly in the on-deck circle at No. 5 after an overtime thriller, but, notably, did not receive a first-place vote this week. Read the ballots less as doubt about Ohio State and more as impatience to crown the next storyline. But the Buckeyes still own the consensus.

Zoom in, and the numbers explain the noise. Penn State has bludgeoned its opening trio by a combined 132-17, punctuated by a 52-6 dismantling of FCS Villanova as Drew Allar and the defense eased into the bye at 3-0. Impressive, but still somewhat untested. Oregon, meanwhile, has outscored opponents by 132 through three games and just handled Northwestern 34-14 on the road, a 20-point cruise that nevertheless cost the Ducks two poll spots to No. 6. Well, neither Penn State nor Oregon has logged a ranked win to date, and none of Oregon’s September opponents appears in this week’s AP Top 25. The resume gap, so far, favors the team with the most banked credibility, and that still reads “Ohio State.”

Georgia, for its part, survived a Neyland cauldron with a 44-41 overtime comeback over Tennessee, moving to No. 5 on the strength of poise in high leverage, but that narrow margin shows just how thin the edges are. Meanwhile, LSU has done its talking on defense: a 17-10 road win at Clemson to open, followed by a 20-10 clampdown of Florida that featured five interceptions and a third straight opponent held to 10 or fewer. Clemson fell out of the rankings this week, and Florida isn’t in the Top 25 either, but LSU’s stinginess travels regardless of logo on the helmet. The Tigers look like a December problem for anyone, provided the offense finds a higher gear.

Miami might be the loudest riser, edging Notre Dame 27-24 in Week 1 before obliterating then-No. 18 USF 49-12 to climb to No. 4, a mix of clutch and cruelty that screams staying power. The Hurricanes’ demolition of a ranked Bulls team validated their speed-on-speed identity and made last week’s nudge up the poll feel inevitable rather than generous. Stack it all together, and the takeaway is that Ohio State remains the team to beat, buttressed by 55 first-place votes and the nation’s most trusted standard. But still, five credible threats circle the runway. Until those threats cash it in head-to-head, the top spot still belongs in scarlet and gray, and the ballots, even the skeptical ones, reflect exactly that.

Why Ohio State can beat Michigan

Ohio State looks clearly ahead of Michigan at this point, sitting at No. 1 in the AP poll after a 14-7 win over then-No. 1 Texas and a 70-0 demolition of Grambling State that showed elite depth and balance on both sides of the ball. With The Game set for Ann Arbor on Nov. 29, some skeptics lean on the road venue as a decisive edge for the Wolverines, but the Buckeyes’ early resume reads like a team built to travel and win in multiple styles against top competition.

The roster gap tilts toward Ohio State, too. The 247Sports Team Talent Composite shows the Buckeyes with 11 five-stars and 56 four-stars on the 2025 roster, a blue-chip foundation that historically correlates with championship-level outcomes. Michigan’s roster remains formidable but lighter at the very top, with four five-stars and 49 four-stars, reinforcing the perception that Ohio State’s ceiling and depth are higher heading into November. Ohio State also features proven headliners like Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs, widely regarded among the nation’s very best, which further amplifies the Buckeyes’ on-field margin when stars become difference-makers in rivalry moments. The only advantage Michigan has this year is that they are the host.

Michigan’s early-season measuring stick didn’t flatter, as Oklahoma controlled a 24-13 win while holding the Wolverines to 3-of-14 on third down, and freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood struggled to find rhythm in Norman’s toughest spots. By contrast, Ohio State banked the nation’s most valuable win so far by holding Texas to 7 points and following with a 70-0 tune-up, a sequence that speaks to a defense-first backbone complemented by explosive playmaking when the game script allows. It’s reasonable to expect Ohio State’s superior talent, results, and form to travel and end the skid against a Michigan squad still searching for answers in big-game situations.