Ohio State Still Outside Kirk Herbstreit's Top Four

Despite knocking off ninth-ranked Notre Dame and climbing in the polls, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit still doesn't see the Buckeyes as a top four team right now.

Another weekend of college football is in the books, which means that ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit has made his selections regarding who he views as the top four teams after Week 4. 

Herbstreit took to Twitter to release his rankings, slating Washington at the top followed by Georgia, Florida State, and Texas, in that order. Below that list, he nominated his "next two", historic rivals Michigan and Ohio State, both of which he believes could make a push for the College Football Playoff.

The Buckeyes are currently fourth in the AP Polls and look like they have the talent to stay in that upper echelon, but they haven't quite put it together enough to convince Herbstreit. 

Even their win at Notre Dame, although dramatic, wasn't exactly a striking victory. That's due in large part to some offensive sputtering, which is to be expected when breaking in a new starting quarterback, but soon this OSU offense will have to catch up with the other side of the ball, where the Buckeyes rank sixth nationally in total defense. 

My top 4 AFTER week 4
1-@UW_Football (most dominant team)

2-@GeorgiaFootball (most talented team)

3-@FSUFootball (beat LSU/Clemson AWAY from Tally)

4-@TexasFootball (Big win in T-Town and trending up)

Next 2 @UMichFootball (Haven’t lived up to their standard offensively YET)…

— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) September 24, 2023

While the defense is performing up to standard, Ohio State is rated just 34th in total offense, narrowly outranking Appalachian State and Toledo. Yes, the Buckeyes played a tough defense last week in the Fighting Irish, but their three previous opponents should have been walkthroughs. 

With receivers like Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, as well as ball carriers like TreVeyon Henderson, there's no excuse not to be one of the most potent units in the country.

It's a bye week for the Silver Bullets in Week 5, so the Buckeyes won't have much chance to prove their worth at the moment. 

They'll need to recover and prepare, though, as they get set to enter the heat of their Big Ten schedule, facing Maryland and Purdue in Weeks 6 and 7 before hosting sixth-ranked Penn State in a monstrous midseason matchup.

Buckeye fans may not be thrilled hearing that Herbstreit still has his alma mater sitting on the outside looking in, but he did leave them with one sentiment that just about everyone in Columbus surely believes.

"[The Buckeyes'] best football is ahead of them."