1942
Paul Brown’s title
Paul Brown's 9-1 team brought the national title to Columbus in 1942
The Game
120 meetings since 1897 See the whole history →No fan reading for this rivalry yet this week. The heat trend and each side’s mood appear when fans start talking about it.
The last 5 · year-by-year
- W 2025 Win 27-9
- L 2024 Loss 10-13
- L 2023 Loss 24-30
- L 2022 Loss 23-45
- L 2021 Loss 27-42
Program outlook
Program outlook
Ryan Day won the 2024 national championship and lost to Michigan in the regular season on the way there. In Columbus, that sentence contains the whole argument: what does a title cost when The Game was still Michigan's?
Read the full essay — 4 more paragraphs
Ohio State treats every autumn as a national-title mandate. The standard was built by Woody Hayes across five championships, Archie Griffin across two Heismans — the only player in the sport's history to win it twice — and the recruiting machinery that has turned the state of Ohio into a talent monopoly. 'The standard is the standard' is not inspiration; it is the accounting ledger by which every season is evaluated. Eight national championships, 42 conference titles, the Horseshoe at 102,780. The program does not speak about its success as a feel-good story. It speaks the way a manufacturing concern speaks about its operating rigor.
The 2024 title resolved one question and left another open. Day's championship — won through the 12-team Playoff over Notre Dame — ended the 'can he win the big one' narrative that had built to a roar after a third consecutive loss to Michigan. But the 2024 Michigan game was still Michigan's, a fact the trophy case cannot fully erase. The fanbase fracture runs exactly there: the faction for whom only the championship counts, and the faction for whom The Game is the whole point, trophy or not. Four straight losses to the rival from 2021 through 2024 is a wound a single title softened but did not close. In Columbus, the asterisk is the rivalry, not the trophy.
The 2026 season asks whether Day can build a Tressel-like multi-title arc or whether 2024 was the Meyer-like singular peak of an otherwise competitive era. The depth is real, the recruiting has stayed top-five nationally, and the portal strategy is as sophisticated as any program in the sport. What 2026 will adjudicate, in SEC-caliber November games, is whether the standard and the scoreboard are the same noun again — and whether The Game, in Ann Arbor, gets answered.
Update (Nov. 2, 2026): Ohio State is 6-2. The Buckeyes lost 24-23 to Texas on Sept. 12 and 30-18 to USC on Oct. 31, and have beaten Ball State, Kent State, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland and, 19-15 on Oct. 17, Indiana. Oregon visits Columbus on Nov. 7 and Michigan comes on Nov. 28, so the question of The Game is still open.
On the field
Dynastic-industrial: a national recruiting monopoly built on Ohio talent, executing a pro-style scheme with the country's deepest rotation of NFL-caliber linemen on both sides of the ball. Day has layered RPO elements and spread-tempo concepts over the Tressel-era physical identity, but the trench dominance remains the program's true operating system. Depth at every position is the recruiting thesis: Ohio State does not rebuild, it reloads, and the 2026 roster reflects that in the defensive backfield above all.
Ohio State has won 7 national titles since 1936
1942, 1954, 1957, 1968, 2002, 2014, 2024
How titles are counted
The final AP poll from 1936 and the Coaches poll from 1950 through 2005, then the winner of the BCS and College Football Playoff title games. A program may claim others, named by selectors we do not count.
- 1942: AP poll
- 1954: AP poll
- 1957: Coaches poll
- 1968: AP poll and Coaches poll
- 2002: AP poll and Coaches poll
- 2014: playoff title game
- 2024: playoff title game
Ohio State has won 73% of its games since 1897 — 79% at home, 67% on the road.
890-288-40 all-time · 128 seasons · 1897–2026
Home
547-134-15
Away
305-122-25
Neutral
38-32
1 g
1890s
30%
1900s
69%
1910s
56%
1920s
70%
1930s
63%
1940s
68%
1950s
75%
1960s
80%
1970s
69%
1980s
74%
1990s
80%
2000s
87%
2010s
85%
2020s
The CFP era
2 titles, 6 CFP appearances across 13 seasons — the era the program defined.
Trajectory · quality-score line · AP rank dotted · CFP bids marked · coach regimes ribboned
Program quality
AP rank (inverted)
CFP appearance
Swipe left for earlier seasons
Ohio State’s 2014–2026 record is 147-21, with 6 playoff appearances and 2 national titles.
Ryan Day
Ryan Day is in year 9, longer than most head coaches stay at one school.
Era Ryan Day · 2018–presentPrev: Urban Meyer (2012–2018)OC: Keenan Bailey (co) / Arthur SmithPrev OC: Keenan Bailey (co) / Brian Hartline (2025)DC: Matt Patricia / Tim Walton (co)Prev DC: Jim Knowles (2022–2024)
9
years · era
Ohio State and Michigan, meeting by meeting
Michigan leads the series 62-52-6 (since 1897); in the last 10 meetings, Ohio State is 6-4
2025: Ohio State won 27-9. After this game, Michigan led 62-52-6.
Last 25 meetings: ▲ Ohio State won, ▼ Michigan won, by how much
Each step is one meeting: up when Ohio State wins, down when Michigan wins, flat for a tie. Counts every game in our records since 1897. The NCAA vacated Ohio State's 2010 wins, so the 2010 meeting (Ohio State 37, Michigan 7) is left out, as in published series records. Tap the line for any season.
Ohio State in History
- Michigan 42, Ohio State 27: Harbaugh’s first win against the BuckeyesNov 27, 2021
- The Big Ten drops its six-game minimum, and Ohio State plays for the titleDec 9, 2020
- Ohio State beats Oregon for the first Playoff title, and its injured quarterback says to feed ZekeGame · Jan 12, 2015
- Ohio State upsets Alabama in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Sugar BowlGame · Jan 1, 2015
Moments in Ohio State history
- Ohio State 30, Michigan 27Nov 26, 2016
- Missouri 14, Ohio State 3Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic · Dec 29, 2023
- Indiana 13, Ohio State 10Big Ten Championship · Dec 6, 2025
On this date, Nov 4, 2017: Iowa 55, Ohio State 24
What this program never forgets
Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.
1968
The Hayes titles
Woody Hayes won it twice with unbeaten teams — 10-0 in 1954, and 10-0 again in 1968
The 2002 title (double-OT over Miami)
Tressel's championship over a stacked Miami
The 2024 national title
Day's first championship — won the 12-team Playoff over Notre Dame after losing to Michigan in the regular season
The 2021-2024 Michigan losses
Four straight to the rival — the wound a title couldn't erase
Wound
Moment of the year · 2026
Won 19-15 at Indiana
Week 7 of 2026. Beat a top-5 opponent on the road. It turned on one snap in Q4 — Josh Hoover to Nick Marsh, a 27-point win-probability swing.
2022–2026
Ohio State has sent 41 players to the NFL Draft since 2022 — 14 of them in the first round.
Elite. Top recruit destination + development pipeline.
41
picks · 14 in round 1
#2
C.J. Stroud
Quarterback · 2023 · 
Houston Texans · #3/140 final season
Houston Texans · #3/140 final season
#4
Marvin Harrison Jr.
Wide Receiver · 2024 · 
Arizona Cardinals · #11/497 final season
Arizona Cardinals · #11/497 final season
#4
Carnell Tate
Wide Receiver · 2026 · 
Tennessee Titans · #40/485 final season
Tennessee Titans · #40/485 final season
#1 all-time · 95 first-round picksthe talent factory →
More in this tab
Program facts
Program résumé
8Nat'l titles
42Conf. titles
7Heismans
7CFP apps
55Bowl apps
1890Founded
Ladder finish
Season standing · 2026 · 6-2 · CFP #12 / AP #11
Season standing · 2026 · 6-2 · CFP #12 / AP #11Ohio State is 12th in the CFP poll at 6-2 — a top-15 team.
Top 15 nationally. NY6-bowl conversation.
Top 15
Sub-FBSBuildingBowlRankedContenderPlayoff
Conference
Big Ten standing · 2026
3rd in the Big Ten
Ohio State is 3rd in the Big Ten at 4-1. 2 teams above — that's the direct path to the title game.
| # | Program | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA | 5-0 |
| 2 | Indiana | 5-1 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 4-1 |
| 4 | USC | 4-2 |
| 5 | Illinois | 3-2 |
| 6 | Iowa | 3-2 |
| 7 | Minnesota | 3-2 |
| 8 | Northwestern | 3-2 |
| 9 | Oregon | 3-2 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | 3-2 |
| 11 | Michigan | 2-3 |
| 12 | Nebraska | 2-3 |
| 13 | Purdue | 2-3 |
| 14 | Washington | 2-3 |
| 15 | Penn State | 1-4 |
| 16 | Rutgers | 1-4 |
| 17 | Maryland | 0-5 |
| 18 | Michigan State | 0-5 |
Coaching history
Coaching history
- Hired Ryan Day
- Urban Meyer departs
- Hired Urban Meyer
- Luke Fickell departs
- Hired Luke Fickell
- Jim Tressel departs
- Hired Jim Tressel
- John Cooper departs
Coordinator lineage
Ohio State’s offense and defense, by coordinator
FBS-relative efficiency percentile per season (2014–2026), same population as the Coordinator Mirror board. Dashed vertical lines mark a coordinator change.
Offense2014–2026
2014 · Ed Warinner (co) / Tom Herman2015–2016 · Ed Warinner / Tim Beck (co)2017–2018 · Kevin Wilson (co) / Ryan Day (co)2019–2022 · Kevin Wilson2023 · Brian Hartline (co)2024 · Chip Kelly / Brian Hartline (co)2025 · Keenan Bailey (co) / Brian Hartline2026 · Keenan Bailey (co) / Arthur Smith
Defense2014–2026
2014–2015 · Chris Ash (co) / Luke Fickell (co)2016 · Greg Schiano (co) / Luke Fickell (co)2017 · Greg Schiano2018 · Alex Grinch (co) / Greg Schiano2019 · Greg Mattison (co) / Jeff Hafley (co)2020 · Greg Mattison (co) / Kerry Coombs2021 · Kerry Coombs2022–2024 · Jim Knowles2025–2026 · Matt Patricia / Tim Walton (co)
Elite (≥70th pct)AveragePoor (≤30th pct)
Gameday customs
Rituals
Things this fanbase does every Saturday — none of them invented in the last decade.
Script Ohio
since 1936
more
The Ohio State Marching Band spells out 'OHIO' in script across the field, culminating in a senior sousaphone player 'dotting the i.' First performed Oct 24, 1936 — credited as the first moving script-writing by a marching band. Being chosen to dot the i is a senior-year honor with a campus-wide audience. The pageantry hasn't changed in 90 years; that's the point.
O-H-I-O Chant
since 1920s
more
Four people (or four sections) each take one letter, performed in sequence with arm gestures. The most portable college football ritual — works at tailgates, airports, weddings. Any Buckeye fan recognizing another Buckeye in public starts it. The arm-gesture version is the canonical one.
Carmen Ohio
since 1903 (alma mater); end-of-game tradition codified in 2001
more
The alma mater sung by team, band, and fans after every home game, win or loss. Tradition of the team singing it on the field stabilized under Jim Tressel circa 2001. The post-loss version is its own catharsis ritual — the program acknowledges the loss with the school, not separately.
Buckeye Leaves on Helmets
since 1968
more
Players earn buckeye-leaf stickers for the helmet based on individual game performances. Originated under Woody Hayes (1968); the leaves accumulate visibly across the season. A heavily-leafed helmet is a defacto status symbol; freshmen with few leaves get the contrast. The leaves themselves are real-ish — a stylized buckeye-shape sticker.
Skull Session
since 1934
more
The Marching Band's pre-game public rehearsal — fans pack St. John Arena to watch. The team makes a brief appearance. Originated as a practical band tuning; evolved into a fan event. ~10,000-12,000 attend per game. The contrast: serious band rehearsal in front of cheering fans makes it uniquely Ohio State.
Cultural identity
2025 L
2024 W
2024 WReddit blowups
r/CFB moments
3.9k
[Postgame Thread] USC Defeats Ohio State 30-18
All-time top community posts
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