This isn’t about one performance. It isn’t about one trademark victory. It isn’t about margin of victory. Or strength of schedule.

It’s about everything. It’s about being the lone team ranked in the top 10 in the country in scoring points and preventing them. It’s about thorough dominance in all six victories, winning by an average of 40.5 points per game. It’s about beating decent teams with balance and focus and leaving nothing to chance.

At the moment, Ohio State is the best team in the country. Better than Alabama because of the Crimson Tide’s young and leaky defense. Better than Clemson because of the Tigers’ offensive inconsistency. Better than Georgia at the skill positions. It has faced a tougher schedule than LSU and Oklahoma, and played more consistent football than both.

It has a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender (Justin Fields) and a surging star (running back J.K. Dobbins). It features two projected top-10 picks (defensive end Chase Young and cornerback Jeffrey Okudah) on defense. And a first-year head coach (Ryan Day) who has gotten the right focus and discipline, qualities that had been lacking in recent years in Columbus.

It is fair to say Ohio State hasn’t been truly tested yet. Other undefeated teams have better wins. LSU won at Texas. Georgia knocked off Notre Dame. Clemson topped Texas A&M.

But Ohio State has not fattened up on patsies, either, like many of the nation’s top teams have. According to TeamRankings, it has the fourth-toughest schedule so far.

The 42-0 dusting of Cincinnati only looks better now that the Bearcats snapped UCF’s 19-game AAC winning streak on Friday night and are ranked No. 25 by the AP. Nebraska, coming off a quality win over Northwestern, is a contender in the Big Ten West, despite the 48-7 thrashing Ohio State put on the Huskers in Lincoln. And then there is previously ranked Michigan State and its stingy defense that Ohio State ripped through Saturday night, 34-10. It has won its two road games, at Indiana and Nebraska, by a cumulative 99-17. The Buckeyes have destroyed two top-40 scoring defenses, in Cincinnati and Michigan State, scoring a combined 76 points.

Less than halfway into the season, the contenders have begun to separate themselves. It’s no longer a small sample size. And Ohio State has proven, six games into its season, it is a serious national championship threat.

Gators lurking below surface

Florida isn’t there yet — the offense isn’t dynamic enough to beat the SEC’s very best — but soon it will be back among the nation’s elite. Coach Dan Mullen, with a 16-3 record, is proving to be the right move, a quarterback whisperer who has the Gators undefeated through six games for the first time since 2015 despite losing starting quarterback Feleipe Franks on Sept. 14. Backup quarterback Kyle Trask and a fierce defense led them past Auburn on Saturday, setting up a huge trip to Death Valley against undefeated LSU. Remember, Florida preferred Chip Kelly and Scott Frost over Mullen. The folks in Gainesville have never been so happy to be turned down twice.

Fear and Loathing in New Brunswick

Greg Schiano is the popular name to replace fired coach Chris Ash, the hero returning to past glory. But, Rutgers fans, beware. UConn was thrilled to get Randy Edsall back after he left for Maryland and he’s flopped in his second go-around. I’m not saying Schiano will follow the same path, but it does seem familiar.

Rutgers, in my opinion, should hand Joe Moorhead a blank check. The Mississippi State coach knows the landscape, from his days as the Fordham coach and Penn State offensive coordinator, and is an offensive guru.

Moorhead is under contract through 2022 and making over $3 million per year, so the likelihood of him leaving isn’t high. But he is an East Coast guy and wouldn’t have to worry about job security at Rutgers as he eventually will at Mississippi State.

My other thought, as others have suggested, would be Army’s Jeff Monken. Rutgers needs an identity other than despair. Monken’s triple-threat offense would give them one.

Top 10

1. Ohio State (6-0) (Last week: 4)

Nobody is playing more consistently well on both sides of the ball than the Buckeyes, who manhandled a quality Michigan State team Saturday night in Columbus.

2. Alabama (5-0) (1)

The Crimson Tide is fourth in scoring (51.8) and 13th in points allowed (14.8). They have yet to win by fewer than three scores. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

3. Georgia (5-0) (2)

Georgia sleepwalked through most of the first half against Tennessee and still won by 29. This was just the start to a virtual month-long bye before some real challenges come the Bulldogs’ way in November.

4. Clemson (5-0) (3)

There was a time Clemson against Florida State would be the game of the year in the ACC, a highly anticipated rivalry with major national championship implications. Now, next Saturday’s meeting is merely an opportunity for Clemson to feel better about itself against a vastly inferior opponent.

5. LSU (5-0) (5)

Now we begin to find out if LSU is for real, starting with a Saturday showdown against undefeated Florida, followed by games against SEC West rivals Auburn and Alabama.

6. Oklahoma (5-0) (6)

Let the countdown begin in earnest. Oklahoma and Texas next Saturday in Dallas, Jalen Hurts and Sam Ehlinger, the winner setting itself up nicely for the Big 12 crown.

7. Notre Dame (4-1) (10)

There was no benefit whatsoever for Notre Dame to schedule Bowling Green, as illustrated by the 52-0 result and 573-228 Irish edge in total yardage.

8. Florida (6-0) (NR)

The Gators are 6-0 for the first time since 2015 and like that year, visit LSU. A win and Florida joins the playoff conversation for real.

9. Texas (4-1) (9)

Hopefully for Texas, it got its “C” game out of the way. It won’t beat Oklahoma on Saturday with the kind of inconsistent football it played in a tougher-than-expected win over mediocre-at-best West Virginia.

10. Wisconsin (5-0) (10)

The nation’s top-ranked defense has now shut out three opponents for the first time since 1937. Of course, the next quality offense the Badgers face will be their first.

Dropped out: Auburn (5-1)

Heisman Watch

(in alphabetical order)

QB Joe Burrow, LSU

The numbers are impressive, but it should be noted Burrow has yet to face an elite defense. That changes Saturday when Florida comes to Death Valley.

QB Justin Fields, Ohio State

The sophomore provided yet another answer to a question: How would he handle a top-notch defense? By producing three touchdowns and 271 total yards in a blowout of Michigan State.

QB Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma

This was Hurts’ worst performance — he threw an interception and only averaged 5.6 yards on the ground in a rout of Kansas — yet still scored four touchdowns. That’s how good he has been through five games.

QB Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

Through five games, Tagovailoa is outperforming his scorching start of a year ago, with more touchdown passes (23 compared to 14), a higher completion percentage (76.4 to 75.0) and fewer interceptions (two to zero). He is somehow only getting better.

RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin

Wisconsin has opened each game this year with a touchdown drive. It’s hardly a surprise Taylor has scored on each of those tone-setting possessions.