2024 MAC Championship
Ohio routed Miami (OH) 38-3 — the largest margin in MAC title-game history and the program's first conference crown since 1968
Program outlook
Program outlook
Ohio won its seventh straight bowl game last December under a coach who had been on the job for two weeks. That's the program in one sentence: keep winning, whoever's driving.
Since Jun 14: W 31-14 vs Central Michigan; W 48-7 at Sacramento State; W 24-20 vs Eastern Michigan; W 28-20 at Akron. 7-2 this season.
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The Bobcats play out of Peden Stadium in Athens, in the Appalachian foothills of southeast Ohio — one of the most genuinely scenic game-day settings in college football, with a grass berm where students watch from the hill like it's a different era entirely. Frank Solich built the modern foundation over 16 seasons, turning a mid-major also-ran into a MAC fixture with championship-game appearances and a culture of well-coached, physical football that outlasted his tenure. The 2024 MAC title — the program's first since 1968, a 38-3 rout of Miami (OH) in the largest winning margin in title-game history — was the moment the Solich-era investment finally cashed its biggest check.
The 2025 offseason proceeded to demonstrate what Ohio does when everything goes wrong: it wins anyway. Tim Albin, who coached the title team, left for Charlotte before the confetti dried. His replacement Brian Smith went 8-4 and was fired for cause in December amid a misconduct investigation. Defensive coordinator John Hauser — the program's third head coach in three seasons — took over for the Frisco Bowl, beat 10-win UNLV 17-10, and was promoted to the permanent job. Seven straight bowl wins, three coaches, zero broken streaks. The fanbase's pride in this is specific and not ironic: Athens itself is the constant. Coaches leave because the program is worth raiding; the program survives because the culture is deeper than any one coach.
The 2026 question is whether Hauser can be the hire that stays. The bowl streak is the program's most visible credential; the MAC title and the coaching stability it would take to repeat it are the things the fanbase is actually watching for. Can Hauser — a first-time head coach who won his debut bowl game — build the kind of multi-year tenure that Solich had, and turn the revolving door into a foundation?
On the field
Southeast-Ohio tough: a physical, well-schemed MAC program built on disciplined line play, a reliable run game, and low-turnover football that wins with preparation and game-plan execution rather than talent gaps. The Bobcats historically build through the MAC transfer market and in-region recruiting, prioritizing scheme-fit over upside. Defense and field position are the identity — the offense is built to protect leads, not create them out of nothing.
Ohio has won 46% of its games since 1905 — 58% at home, 36% on the road.
355-411-9 all-time · 93 seasons · 1905–2026
Home
198-136-5
Away
147-263-4
Neutral
10-12
1 g
1900s
1 g
1910s
6 g
1920s
30%
1930s
6 g
1940s
8 g
1950s
55%
1960s
42%
1970s
31%
1980s
31%
1990s
42%
2000s
62%
2010s
67%
2020s
The CFP era
13 seasons inside the CFP era, no bids yet — the era the program is still trying to break into.
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’s 2014–2026 record is 99-57.
John Hauser
John Hauser is in year 2. The methodology is taking shape.
Era John Hauser · 2025–presentPrev: Tim Albin (2021–2024)OC: Scott IsphordingPrev OC: Scott Isphording (co) / Brian Smith (2024)DC: Kurt MattixPrev DC: John Hauser (2025)
2
years · era
Ohio and Miami (OH), meeting by meeting
Miami (OH) leads the series 33-30-1 (since 1962); Ohio has won the last 2
2025: Ohio won 24-20. After this game, Miami (OH) led 33-30-1.
Last 25 meetings: ▲ Ohio won, ▼ Miami (OH) won, by how much
Each step is one meeting: up when Ohio wins, down when Miami (OH) wins, flat for a tie. Counts every game in our records since 1962. Tap the line for any season.
Moments in Ohio history
- Texas State 56, Ohio 54Sep 3, 2016
- Ball State 20, Ohio 14Oct 4, 2025
- Akron 37, Ohio 34Nov 14, 2017
On this date, Nov 4, 2025: Ohio 24, Miami (OH) 20
What this program never forgets
Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.
2025 Frisco Bowl win
Beat 10-win UNLV 17-10 under interim coach John Hauser for a seventh straight bowl victory
Moment of the year · 2026
Won 35-7 vs Stonehill
Week 4 of 2026. A statement margin. Recruiting boards re-rendered overnight.
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Ladder finish
Season standing · 2026 · 7-2
Season standing · 2026 · 7-2Ohio is 7-2 — bowl-eligible, unranked.
6+ wins, bowl access secured. The baseline of a successful FBS year.
Bowl eligible
Sub-FBSBuildingBowlRankedContenderPlayoff
Conference
Mid-American standing · 2026
1st in the Mid-American
Ohio sits at the top of the Mid-American at 5-0. Everyone else is chasing.
| # | Program | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio | 5-0 |
| 2 | Buffalo | 4-1 |
| 3 | Western Michigan | 4-1 |
| 4 | Toledo | 3-1 |
| 5 | Eastern Michigan | 3-2 |
| 6 | Miami (OH) | 3-2 |
| 7 | Ball State | 2-2 |
| 8 | Bowling Green | 2-3 |
| 9 | Kent State | 2-3 |
| 10 | Central Michigan | 1-3 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | 1-3 |
| 12 | Sacramento State | 1-5 |
| 13 | Akron | 0-5 |
Coaching history
Coaching history
- Hired John Hauser
- Brian Smith departs
- Hired Brian Smith
- Tim Albin departs
- Hired Tim Albin
- Frank Solich departs
- Hired Frank Solich
- Brian Knorr departs
Coordinator lineage
Ohio’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
2014–2020 · Tim Albin2021–2023 · Allen Rudolph (co) / Scott Isphording (co)2024 · Scott Isphording (co) / Brian Smith2025–2026 · Scott Isphording
Defense2014–2026
2014–2016 · Jim Burrow (co)2017–2018 · Jim Burrow (co) / Ron Collins (co)2019–2021 · Ron Collins (co) / Pete Germano (co)2022–2023 · Spence Nowinsky2024 · John Hauser / Nate Faanes (co)2025 · John Hauser2026 · Kurt Mattix
Elite (≥70th pct)AveragePoor (≤30th pct)
Gameday customs
Rituals
Three gameday rituals — the ones outsiders never quite catch.
Peden Stadium Hill Setting
since 1929
more
Peden Stadium — built 1929 into a natural hillside — is one of CFB's most-architecturally-distinct venues. The 24,000 capacity + the hill backdrop + the southeast-Ohio Appalachian Foothills geography + the on-campus location + the 'OU Oh Yeah!' chant create a venue uniquely Ohio (the MAC program, not to be confused with Ohio State).
Frank Solich Tenure (2005-2020)
since 2005
more
Frank Solich's 2005-2020 tenure — coming from the Nebraska firing — became the longest sustained head-coach run in modern Ohio football. Multiple MAC championship game appearances + bowl wins + 115 total wins. Solich's 2021 retirement opened Tim Albin's tenure (formerly Solich's offensive coordinator). The Solich era is the program's modern peak.
Battle of the Bricks (vs Miami OH)
since 1908
more
Ohio-Miami (OH) plays the Battle of the Bricks — first played 1908 — for the brick trophy. The In-State MAC rivalry has produced 110+ meetings + multiple division championships at stake. The 'brick' trophy is the literal brick from each campus.
Cultural identity
2025 W
2024 W
2023 W
2022 W
2019 WReddit blowups
r/CFB moments
209
[Postgame Thread] Duquesne Defeats Ohio 28-26
181
[Postgame Thread] Ohio Defeats Buffalo 45-24
128
[Postgame Thread] Buffalo Defeats Ohio 27-26
All-time top community posts
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