Conference play has officially kicked off, and naturally, the spotlight was supposed to be on OSU. But the Buckeyes sat out Week 4 with a bye, and other programs ended up taking the spotlight. The time off ended up costing OSU a little at the hands of the reporter. But the peculiar observation is causing fans to be up in arms against him instead. That’s when ESPN’s Anthony McFarland shared a surprising critique that didn’t sit well with the Buckeye Nation.

Week 4 will shake up the AP poll for many teams, with some climbing and others slipping, but one spot that’s going to be unchanged so far is the top one. As usual, Ohio State is sitting pretty at No. 1, given that they are unbeaten at 3-0 so far. McFarland, however, isn’t impressed. He shared a tweet about the 3 best teams he’s seen in the season up till now, and OSU missed the cut. The standout team in his eyes was Miami, followed by Oregon and Florida State.

With their unbeaten streak on pause in week 4, other teams capitalized on the freed-up space when it came to national attention. Still, there’s little to criticize or fault the Buckeyes squad this season; maybe red zone issues and some defensive elements can be flagged, at best. But overall, Ohio State seems capable of defending its national title this season. This is a squad that lost a lot of its Natty-winning production from last year but has still managed to impress.

The Buckeyes dominated the grand opener against the Longhorns. Next, OSU stifled Grambling State with a 70-0 win. The numbers dipped a little against Ohio in Week 3. Despite that, the 2025 Buckeyes surely haven’t given a show unworthy of being in the ‘best 3 of the season.’ It’s hard to understand how a team this dominant could be left out of the analyst’s top three, and fans were also quick to call out McFarland for the surprising snub.

Football fans call out McFarland for OSU absence

“Ohio State is much better than both Miami and Florida State,” one fan wrote. Miami sure has become a star after Week 4, as Carson Beck and Mario Cristobal continue to ease doubts with each game. Miami and Oregon are both 4-0, while Florida State is 3-0. The Seminoles also skipped a week after East Texas A&M. And yet, it’s Ohio State that misses out. “The national Champs would disagree. Ask Oregon last year. 34-0,” another fan echoed.

“Oregon hasn’t played a team with a pulse. Miami valid. FSU isn’t better than Ohio st,” one fan commented. Oregon will begin conference play next week. But the Ducks aren’t at their prime yet. Florida State is meanwhile impressing everyone, coming back from a brutal 2-10 record. Still, Ohio State is No. 1 for all other experts, despite debuting new faces in a lot of important positions. It truly is a surprise that OSU failed to catch McFarland’s attention.

“Not including Ohio State in this is crazy. But you said “I’ve seen”… so I guess you weren’t watching,” one fan called McFarland out for ranking. We still have a lot more weeks of college football to enjoy, and it’s very likely that Ohio State will continue to reign at the top even then. OSU plays Washington next, who are also at 3-0. No surprise here, but the Buckeyes are the overwhelming favorite to win this game.

Maybe the ease of the schedule is causing McFarland to hold out on OSU. Their next big game comes at the tail end of the season, against Penn State. And then, of course, we have the clash with That Team Up North. Maybe Ryan Day has to beat the big ones with a margin so high that McFarland can’t help but weasel the Buckeyes into his top 3.