Pick Six Previews projects Ohio State as a 2025 CFP bye team. Can the Buckeyes solve the Michigan problem and win the Big Ten again?

Let’s preview the 2025 college football season with Pick Six Previews, where Brett Ciancia projects Ohio State to earn a College Football Playoff bye but not win the Big Ten Championship.

Order Brett’s 2025 Season Preview Magazine here on Pick Six Preview’s website.

Ciancia’s outlook features Penn State capturing the conference crown for the first time since 2016. Both the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes are slotted as top-four seeds, securing first-round byes in the expanded playoff format.

But for Ohio State, the Michigan problem remains. Can Ryan Day and the Buckeyes overcome it this season and beat the Wolverines in Ann Arbor? 

Pick Six Previews highlights that, despite being a younger Buckeyes team, it has sent 14 players to the NFL. However, they still possess the firepower to return to Indianapolis and contend for the conference title, potentially repeating as National Champions. It’s all about how you finish the season, and Ohio State will need to peak when it matters most.

According to Ciancia’s projections, Ohio State enters 2025 with the top WR/TE, LB, and DB units in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes rank inside the Top-3 in all other categories. Ryan Day’s team has the least variance across the nine position groups in comparison with the rest of the conference. Penn State has the most No. 1 slots with four.

Quarterback Julian Sayin is the presumed starter and will take the reins of an offense reloaded with elite talent. Right out of the gate, the Buckeyes face a monster clash with Texas, which is an early barometer check for Ryan Day’s squad.

Although Ohio State won the National Championship, the focus for 2025 shifts to beating Michigan and reclaiming the Big Ten title.

Ryan Day ushered in change on both sides of the ball for 2025. Matt Patricia takes over as defensive coordinator, and Brian Hartline has been promoted to offensive coordinator and play-caller following Chip Kelly’s return to the NFL.

Pick Six Previews calls Ohio State a “super team.” Hartline will command an offense that includes:

• Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, and Max Klare
  
• Young standouts Mylan Graham and Bryson Rodgers
  
• Backfield tandem C.J. Donaldson and James Peoples

Two of college football’s premier talents, Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs, headline the roster. But Brett Ciancia urges fans not to overlook other emerging stars. Sonny Styles is poised for an All-American campaign at linebacker. Meanwhile, defensive linemen Kenyatta Jackson, Caden Curry, and Eddrick Houston will be disruptive forces up front.

On the back end, the Buckeye secondary is elite. Caleb Downs projects as a first-round draft pick and “surefire All-American,” while Davison Igbinosun and Jermaine Matthews round out a strong unit.

All eyes are on Columbus as Ohio State opens the season with Texas as it “defends” its National Title with an “attacking” mindset. This group of Buckeyes still has something to prove and won’t translate as a traditional “defending champion.”