Kirk Herbstreit slots Ohio State football as No. 3 college football team in his rankings
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Not everyone believes that Ohio State football's on-field performances properly reflects its retention of the top spot in the US LBM Coaches poll and AP polls through Week 3 of college football. Former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit is not convinced just yet.
After a 37-9 victory against Ohio University, Ohio State kept its No. 1 spot through three weeks of nonconference games. But on an episode of Herbstreit's "Nonstop" podcast on Sept. 15, the former Buckeye explained his reasoning for placing LSU and Penn State ahead of Ohio State in his personal rankings.
Herbstreit complimented the "obvious" talent of the new wave of Buckeyes on defense along with the steadiness of quarterback Julian Sayin leading the offense. The questions for Herbstreit lie with the Buckeyes running game, and he questioned Ohio State's ability for big-time playmaking in the backfield.
"I don't feel like they have a back that at this point has shown to be a J.K. Dobbins, a TreVeyon Henderson, a Quinshon Judkins," Herbstreit said. "That guy that if you pay too much attention to Jeremiah Smith, they're gonna make you pay for it ... they've had that in the backfield in the past five-six-seven years."
Through three games, the Buckeyes have used running backs CJ Donaldson and James Peoples the most, with 33 and 25 carries, respectively. A third running back who did not play against Texas, freshman Bo Jackson, has led the Buckeyes in carries over the past two games with 18 (15 for Peoples, 14 for Donaldson in that span).
Jackson had a standout moment against Ohio when he broke off defenders for a 67-yard run, 37 yards longer than the next-best Buckeye. Jackson additionally had a 51-yard run against Grambling State and leads all Ohio State rushers in yards (217).
Herbstreit clarified that the explosiveness from the backfield could solidify in their slate of conference games in the coming weeks.
"I'm not saying they don't have it," Herbstreit said. "We just haven't seen it yet from their backs."
Herbstreit's co-host, former Ohio State wide receiver Joey Galloway, placed the Buckeyes in the No. 1 spot of his personal rankings ahead of Georgia and Tennessee.
"Speaking of fans, you're gonna get it," Galloway told Herbstreit about his placement of their alma mater. " ... I can promise you when I leave my house today, somebody is going to say to me, 'Why does he hate the Buckeyes?' "
Herbstreit backed up his rankings once more, comparing it to their seed in the College Football Playoff in 2024. He explained that the Buckeyes proved themselves with strong playoff performances en route to securing a national championship.
"If we're going by who we love, I would put Ohio State at No. 1 every week," Herbstreit said.
Who does Ohio State football play next?
Ohio State football is set to face Washington on Sept. 27.
What time is the Ohio State-Washington game?
Ohio State will play Washington at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 27.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kirk Herbstreit thinks Ohio State football is No. 3 team in the nation
