College Football

College football rankings: With Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State is good enough to win it all

Updated Oct. 22, 2023 11:02 p.m. ET

FOX Sports National College Football Analyst

This is the best defense Ohio State has fielded since 2019, but this is Marvin Harrison Jr.'s team.

The Buckeyes defense held Penn State to just 2.8 yards per play in Saturday's 20-12 victory at Ohio Stadium.

[This is a different kind of Ohio State team, and that's OK]

To begin the game, both defenses stood up on money downs: The teams combined to go 1-for-8 on third down in the first quarter.

But while Ohio State found a way to move the ball, the Buckeyes defense held Penn State in check and dominated the Nittany Lions on third down. Penn State was 1-for-16 on third down and didn't convert that one until their final attempt down 20-6 late in the fourth quarter. Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar was held to just 18-of-42 for 191 yards. Penn State rushed for just 49 yards.

I'll repeat: The Buckeyes defense is legit.

If only it had an offense that looked like any other offense Ryan Day has coached in the past.

What does Ohio State's win mean for the Buckeyes moving forward?

Sure, Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord hit 22 of 35 for 286 yards and a TD. But it's Harrison who dictates both what Day calls, and what any opposing defensive coordinator calls when the dynamic wideout is on the field.

Harrison has notched 100-plus receiving yards in five of Ohio State's last six games. This one against Penn State was his 12th 100-yard receiving game of his career, putting him past Chris Olave for the second-most in school history, behind only David Boston (14). He finished with 11 catches for 162 yards and a TD.

With respect to Gus Johnson, I'm a car guy. And as a car guy, I can tell you Harrison is not a Maserati, he's a McLaren Senna. Ain't but five GTR LMs made, and it's a seven-speed, dual-clutch 800-horsepower, hell-raising rocket.

Harrison is the frontrunner for the Biletnikoff Award — which would be Ohio State's first since Terry Glenn — and should also be a frontrunner for the Heisman Memorial Trophy.

The last time we saw a wideout mean this much to his team, DeVonta Smith won the Heisman and led Alabama to an undefeated season and the College Football Playoff national championship.

Harrison and Ohio State are good enough to do the same.

Here are my Top 25 rankings after Week 8.

1. Michigan (8-0)

Defeated Michigan State, 49-0

Michigan doesn’t need to steal your signs.

2. Georgia (7-0)

Idle

The Bulldogs will play the Gators on Oct. 28.

3. Ohio State (7-0)

Defeated Penn State, 20-12

The Buckeyes are offensively sound but defensively dominant — a switch in the Ryan Day era.

4. Oklahoma (7-0)

Defeated UCF, 31-29

The Sooners are 7-0 after going 6-7 in 2022.

No. 6 Oklahoma survives tough test vs. UCF

5. Washington (7-0)

Defeated Arizona State, 15-7

Mishael Powell's 89-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter helped the Huskies avoid disaster vs. the Sun Devils. It was the Huskies' first win without an offensive touchdown since 2001, but they're nonetheless alone atop the Pac-12 at 4-0 in league play.

Washington's Mishael Powell goes 89 yards with the pick-six

6. Florida State (7-0)

Defeated Duke, 38-20

The Seminoles came back from a 10-0 deficit to beat the Blue Devils with Riley Leonard forced to miss much of the second half. The Noles are the last remaining undefeated team in the ACC.

7. Texas (6-1)

Defeated Houston, 31-24

The Longhorns led 21-0 before going down 24-21 in the fourth quarter, but the Longhorns managed to pull it out without star quarterback Quinn Ewers.

Texas survives Houston, but Quinn Ewers leaves with injury

8. Alabama (7-1)

Defeated Tennessee, 34-20

The Tide scored 27 unanswered points in the second half to remain one of just two SEC programs without a conference loss, alongside Georgia.

9. Oregon (6-1)

Defeated Washington State, 38-24

Oregon quarterback Bo Nix became the all-time leader for starts in FBS with 54 in the Ducks’ first game since losing to Washington.

10. Penn State (6-1)

Lost to Ohio State, 20-12

Penn State is 0-10 against top-10 opponents on the road under James Franklin.

11. Utah (6-1)

Defeated USC, 34-32

Utah safety-turned-running-back Sione Vaki accounted for 217 total yards with two TDs to secure the Utes' third win against a top-25 program.

Highlights: Utah stuns USC on last-second field goal

12. Ole Miss (6-1)

Defeated Auburn, 28-21

Quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Quinshon Judkins combined for 320 yards and two TDs in a much-needed SEC West win.

13. Oregon State (6-1)

Idle

The Beavers will play Arizona on Oct. 28.

14. Missouri (7-1)

Defeated South Carolina, 34-12

The Tigers are off to their best eight-game start since 2013 — the same year they finished in the SEC title game and beat Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.

15. LSU (6-2)

Defeated Army, 62-0

LSU paid Army $1.6 million for this whooping.

16. Notre Dame (5-2)

Idle

The Fighting Irish will host Pittsburgh on Oct. 28.

17. UCLA (5-2)

Defeated Stanford, 42-7

Carson Steele rushed for 76 yards and three touchdowns.

18. North Carolina (6-1)

Lost to Virginia, 31-27

The Cavaliers’ win at Chapel Hill was the program’s first win on the road against a top-10 opponent and just their second win of the season.

19. Tulane (6-1)

Defeated North Texas, 35-28

Makhi Hughes carried the ball 20 times for 121 yards and a TD in the win.

20. USC (6-2)

Lost to Utah, 34-32

Lincoln Riley’s USC has now suffered back-to-back losses in each of the last two years. On each occasion, Utah has been one of those losses.

21. Air Force (7-0)

Defeated Navy, 17-6

The Falcons completed the longest play from scrimmage in school history against Navy — a 94-yard pass. Air Force is the No. 1 rushing team in the country and 7-0 for the first time since 1997.

22. James Madison (7-0)

Defeated Marshall, 20-9

The Dukes outgained the Thundering Herd 405-169 to remain unbeaten.

23. Duke (5-2)

Lost to Florida State, 38-20

Despite rushing for 197 yards, the Blue Devils suffered their second loss to a top-10 opponent.

24. Tennessee (5-2)

Lost to Alabama, 34-20

After accounting for 275 yards and 20 points in the first half, the Vols managed just 129 yards and not a single point.