How far did Ohio State fall in AP poll after Michigan loss?

Last year following their home loss to Michigan, the Ohio State football team dropped from #2 to #5 in the AP and were left  to wait and pray as conference title games were played, determining what the College Football Playoff field would look like. This year, the Buckeyes find themselves in an awfully similar position, having lost to Michigan in their regular season finale. Perhaps that will allow the Buckeyes to find comfort in what is otherwise a very uncomfortable spot to be in.

Ohio State is 6th in the Week 13 AP Poll, coming in behind a quartet of unbeatens — Georgia (who is now in their 24th consecutive week as the #1 team in the country), Michigan, Washington and Florida State — and finally, the 11-1 Oregon Ducks, who will be playing the Washington Huskies in a Pac-12 Championship Game that doubles as a rematch of one of the best games of the 2023 season.

Assuming the upcoming College Football Playoff rankings mirror the AP Poll, there is still a pretty clear path for Ohio State to make the CFP for the second consecutive season, despite coming up short of making the Big Ten Championship Game yet again.

Assuming the top three teams in the AP Poll all win their conference title games (Georgia over Alabama, Michigan over Iowa, and Washington over Oregon) and #4 Florida State loses in the ACC Championship Game to Louisville (which despite Louisville's loss to Kentucky, feels like a good enough possibility given the uncertainty of Florida State's QB situation), the Buckeyes are in prime position to climb into the top four. Just for insurance, Ryan Day and co. will likely be rooting for Oklahoma State to defeat Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game too, just to eliminate the possibility of the Longhorns jumping them.