COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Though Ohio State has inched closer to a chance at defending its national championship, the Buckeyes still have a lot of work to do.

First they must get past Purdue and Michigan, then hope for some help to get past No. 2 Southern California in the computer ratings and polls that make up the BCS rankings.

The Buckeyes got a break when Virginia Tech, Miami and Florida State – all ahead of them a week ago in the BCS rankings – lost over the weekend and fell out of the race to play for the national championship in the Sugar Bowl.

“We’re third,” coach Jim Tressel declared Tuesday with a wide grin. “I did my homework.”

It was an unusual declaration for a coach who claims he never pays attention to the Bowl Championship Series standings. Throughout last season, Tressel said he had no idea where his team was ranked by the BCS, even as the Buckeyes climbed the charts and eventually earned a spot in the title game. The No. 2 Buckeyes beat No. 1 Miami 31-24 in the Fiesta Bowl to capture their first top ranking in 34 years.

Until this week, Tressel swore he remained oblivious to where his Buckeyes are ranked in the polls or by the BCS.

Ohio State was the only one-loss contender to win Saturday, beating Michigan State 33-23. The Buckeyes moved up from No. 5 to No. 3 in the BCS standings.

“(The BCS) is in the back of your mind,” tight end Ben Hartsock said. “But you can only concern yourself with so many things before the law of diminishing returns starts coming into play. We’ve got a lot on our plate right now. It’s totally cliche, but we can’t let ourselves become overly engulfed in that. We need a couple of things to go our way.”

The Buckeyes, No. 4 in The Associated Press’ poll, host No. 11 Purdue on Saturday then travel to No. 5 Michigan in the annual rivalry on Nov. 22.

“My take is this: There’s no way we can go up if we don’t win,” Tressel said.

The Buckeyes could pass the Trojans for the No. 2 spot even if neither team loses because of their tougher schedule down the stretch.

USC plays at Arizona, then home against UCLA and Oregon State, which have a combined record of 14-15. Top-ranked Oklahoma has games remaining against Baylor and Texas Tech before playing in the Big 12 championship game.

Offensive lineman Shane Olivea said if the Buckeyes win their final two games, they deserve to be in the title game ahead of Southern Cal.

“Purdue right now is No. 10 and Michigan is No. 5. Those are better than a UCLA and an Oregon State win,” he said. “If we win out and they win out, I don’t understand how you can keep the defending national champion out. How could we not defend our title?”

The Buckeyes are tied for the Big Ten lead heading into the final two weeks and must win both games to be assured their first outright conference title in almost two decades.

“Someone asked me have I heard the players talking about” the BCS, Tressel said. “And I said, ‘You know, I have to be honest with you, the thing I’ve heard the players talk about is the fact that we have not been the outright Big Ten champions since 1984.’

“I haven’t heard any of them talk about where we are in the BCS. But I don’t mind the fact that people are talking about it outside of our locker room, because that means we still have a chance.”

Tressel votes in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll, but won’t disclose where he lists teams – even his own – on his ballot. He says he relies on his staff to fill out his ballot.

Tressel, in his third year at Ohio State, said the Buckeyes cannot afford to look at the big picture as long as the Purdue game is just days away.

“It’s just not a good thing if our players are talking about it,” Tressel said about the BCS rankings. “They need to be thinking about Purdue. They need to leave that for someone else.”