COLUMBUS — Ohio State opened the season as one of the top two teams in the country, up at the top of every ranking, power rating and analytical ratings in the college football landscape.

Three weeks in, and the Buckeyes have fallen three spots in the latest ESPN Power Ratings despite having Week 3 off.

Yes, Ohio State has dropped three spots to No. 5 in the self-proclaimed Worldwide Leader in Sports’ Power Rankings after three weeks of the season. Texas is in the top spot after a dominant win over UTSA, overtaking Georgia, which struggled on the road in a win over Kentucky.

Two teams jumped over Ohio State this week: Alabama, after its win at Wisconsin, is No. 3 and Tennessee is No. 4 after easily beating Kent State.

With the Buckeyes off during the weekend, they’re down to No. 5. But they can rise back up in the rankings soon if they impress against Marshall on Saturday and again a week later on the road at Michigan State.

Other Big Ten teams in ESPN’s Power Rankings are No. 8 USC, No. 10 Penn State, No. 11 Oregon, No. 16 Michigan, No. 18 Nebraska and No. 25 Illinois.

Ohio State will face Penn State, Oregon, Michigan and Nebraska this season, two of them coming at home and two on the road.

Buckeyes vs. Michigan State will be in primetime on Peacock

Ohio State is playing its final nonconference game of the season with a Noon date against Marshall on Saturday.

Then conference play begins for the Buckeyes. And they’ll open their Big Ten slate with a road trip to Michigan State for a streaming-only primetime matchup.

Yes, the Buckeyes will play Michigan State at 7 p.m. on Sept. 28, and they’ll do so as a game that can only be watched on Peacock, the streaming platform for NBC.

Ohio State is 2-0 on the season, while the Spartans are off to a 3-0 start under first-year head coach Johnathan Smith. Michigan State has wins over Florida Atlantic, Maryland and Prairie View A&M. The win over Maryland came in the final seconds of a road game; the Spartans are already 1-0 in Big Ten play with a game on the road at Boston College on deck.

The Buckeyes, meanwhile, will host Marshall (Noon, FOX) on Saturday before opening conference action in East Lansing.

ICYMI: Buckeyes open as massive favorite over Marshall

Ohio State had the weekend off in Week 3 after playing just two games to open the season.

The No. 3 Buckeyes are expected to rout Marshall when they return to action inside the Horseshoe on Saturday. They opened as a 40.5-point favorite over the Thundering Herd on Sunday, six days ahead of the matchup.

The total is set at 51.5 points. The folks in the desert seem to believe Ohio State will win by a score of 46-5.

Marshal is 1-1 on the season, beating Stony Brook 45-3 before losing on the road at Virginia Tech 31-17 on Sept. 7. Like Ohio State, Marshall had an idle week in Week 3 and will return to action this upcoming weekend.

The Buckeyes are 1-1 against the spread so far this season, failing to cover the massive point spread in the opening win over Akron before shutting out Western Michigan to cover that spread. Marshall is 1-1 against the spread, too.

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Marshall: 4 days
Ohio State at Oregon: 25 days
Ohio State at Penn State: 46 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 74 days

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