Kirk Herbstreit calls out Ohio State’s drop in AP Top 25 poll: ‘It makes no sense to me at all’

Following its loss to Texas in Week 2, Ohio State fell five spots in the AP Top 25. The Buckeyes were the No. 1 team in the poll after Week 1 but will now head into Week 3 ranked No. 6, and that decision led to criticism from ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit. Herbstreit argued Ohio State fell too far in the latest poll. The Buckeyes entered the fourth quarter with a 23-3 lead over Texas before the Longhorns mounted a furious comeback to get the 24-23 victory in Austin on Saturday night. Herbstreit was on the call for ABC alongside Chris Fowler. $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage When asked about Ohio State’s five-spot drop in the poll, Herbstreit noted the way the Buckeyes played through the game. Add in the fact they lost to a Top-5 team, and he said they fell too far in the AP Top 25 poll. “I don’t agree with it. … Ohio State was No. 1 coming into the game, they played really well for three quarters and then the game, to Texas’ credit, Texas beat Ohio State,” Herbstreit told Joey Galloway on Nonstop. “People can say all the want about how Ohio State got conservative [or] they played not to lose, whatever the case may be. They were dominating a football game 23-3 heading into the fourth quarter and Texas ends up coming back to win the game. “Yeah, you should be penalized for losing a game. But it’s kind of silly to drop all the way down to six after playing the way they did, coming in at No. 1. … I just don’t like the natural reaction, ‘Well, they lost. Down they go.’ I think that’s silly. If they dropped them to 3, I think that would make sense, maybe, 2 or 3. That’s just like 1970s way of polling. It makes no sense to me at all. But I think it’ll work itself out.” Ohio State took a 20-3 lead into halftime thanks to a rushing touchdown from Ja’Kobi Jackson, a receiving touchdown from Jeremiah Smith and two field goals. Texas then found a rhythm in the fourth quarter as Arch Manning found Ryan Wingo for a score and Hollywood Smothers ran two touchdowns in, including the eventual game-winner. The Longhorns’ defense also held strong during the last 15 minutes. Ohio State totaled just 52 yards in the final frame as Julian Sayin threw six passes – including three targets for Smith, who did not record a catch in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Texas offense totaled 150 yards and got the three touchdowns to complete the rally and get the win.