The preseason AP Poll dropped and the Buckeyes are ranked third, right behind their week one opponent Texas and Big Ten rival Penn State.
2024 was a whirlwind for The Ohio State Buckeyes and the fans, with one of their two losses coming on a rare mistake by then Buckeye Quarterback Will Howard, who the Pittsburgh Steelers selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. The other loss came at the hands of The Team Up North for the fourth consecutive season.
The season looked like it was going to be a wash and a possible regime change, as Head Coach Ryan Day was likely on the hot seat after once again not being able to win “The Game.” But the cold afternoon on December 8th would be the start of one of the greatest runs in Playoff history. Ohio State was ranked at the dreadful eighth spot and would be matched up with the number nine-ranked Tennessee Volunteers, which had one of the best offenses in the nation under fourth-year Head Coach Josh Heupel.
December 21st, 2024, is a day I will remember for the rest of my life. Being in a sold-out Ohio Stadium with over 100,000 College Football fans fighting for their seasons to continue is something everyone should be able to experience once in their lifetime. The wind chill was in the negatives, and two of the best offenses were set to go to war with each team eyeing the potential matchup against the Oregon Ducks.
Led by Jeremiah Smith and Jack Sawyer, the Buckeyes would go on the greatest run a team has gone on since the birth of the College Football Playoff, which happened to also be The Ohio State Buckeyes. The 2024 National Championship run will forever be history as the team that everyone thought was down and out would destroy everyone in their path to bring home championship gold.
Looking Ahead to 2025
The first preseason AP Poll dropped and the Buckeyes are ranked third, right behind their Week 1 opponent Texas and Big Ten rival Penn State. But in other Media rankings, they have the defending champions around the No. 5 and No. 6 spots as the roster has reshaped after losing 14 NFL Draft picks.
So the question that needs to be asked is: Can the Buckeyes go Back to Back? Ryan Day will have two new play callers this season as offensive coordinator Chip Kelly returned back to the NFL. Former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles left to become the Penn State defensive play caller. Coach Day welcomes back Brian Hartline to the offensive coordinator role after sharing the role with Chip Kelly last season.
Day also hired former Detroit Lions Head Coach and three time Super Bowl Champion Matt Patricia to become defensive coordinator. There is nothing short of quality experience on the coaching staff and will be interesting how they mesh their experience together at a high level.
Fourteen Buckeye contributors were selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, this includes Will Howard, Treyveon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, and eleven other starters are going to have to be replaced for this upcoming season.
Redshirt Freshman Julian Sayin looks to be the guy with the keys to the ship as the former five-star will have Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate back as his key targets. The big question on the offensive side of the ball is the lack of veteran leadership and experience that the team last year had.
The longest tenure offensive players this season are Brandon Inniss and Carson Hinzman both who were backups last season behind two of the best players at their respective positions in the country. Can this offense be as explosive early with the lack of experience? The answer will always be yes if Jeremiah Smith is on the field, but who else will step up if the best wide receiver in college football is locked down? Max Klare comes over from Purdue and has had the entire media naming him a dark horse for the Mackey Award.
The strength of the team is the defense this season, with returners such as Davison Igbinoson, Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles, Kenyatta Jackson, and more alongside North Carolina transfer Beau Atkinson and true freshman’s Devin Sanchez and Riley Pettijon looking to possibly have big roles early in their Buckeye careers. Matt Patricia has one of the toughest matchups a new coordinator could have in their first game when the top ranked Texas Longhorns come to town.
Ryan Day on the atmosphere expectations against Texas:
“We need The Shoe rocking like it was against Indiana and against Penn State a few years ago. We need it to be the loudest it’s ever been.”
— Blake T. Biscardi (@BlakeBiscardi) August 11, 2025
The 2025 Ohio State Buckeyes have the talent to bring home another National Championship to Columbus. The main question is if they have the hunger that the team last season had? Do they have the veteran leadership to hold the team accountable for mistakes made in games and to persevere through hard moments? We are less than twenty days away from seeing how this season will be begin.
AJ is currently a sophomore at Bowling Green State University. He has been a sports fan and Ohio State fan since he was a kid, and has been covering sports since 2020. AJ runs his own podcast called Just Talkin Sports, where he interviews athletes from all sports. He has over 2,300 plays on Spotify and 300 followers on Instagram. AJ plans to study Sport Management and minor in marketing while also interning for BGSU Athletics Strategic Communications.