Early Ohio State projections for 2025 College Football Playoff give Buckeyes the chance to repeat
The Ohio State Buckeyes are enjoying their national championship as much as they can, but it didn't take long for the rest of the country to turn their attention to next season. The Buckeyes have already lost Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator and could see Chip Kelly depart as well. However, none of that will […]
The Ohio State Buckeyes are enjoying their national championship as much as they can, but it didn't take long for the rest of the country to turn their attention to next season. The Buckeyes have already lost Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator and could see Chip Kelly depart as well.
However, none of that will stop Ryan Day and his young 2025 team from making a College Football Playoff push. According to our internal analytics and projections, the Buckeyes are predicted to make the Playoff and be in position to push for a repeat title.
Although the Buckeyes are losing TreVeyon Henderson, Will Howard, Emeka Egbuka, and a ton of other upperclassmen, guys like Caleb Downs and Jeremiah Smith are back. Having the two best players in the nation can help guide the young Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes are projected to finish second in the College Football Playoff rankings for 2025-26 behind Texas.
Seven of the returning 10 teams in this projected bracket are teams who ranked inside the final College Football Playoff Top 25 in at least seven of the last 11 years. That same group that consists of Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia, Oregon, Notre Dame, LSU and Penn State have all averaged a playoff ranking inside the Top 12 for more than the last decade.
The next generation of Buckeyes, including Julian Sayin, James Peoples, Carnell Tate, and several major incoming transfer additions, give Day the chance to revamp how the team plays. There's a lot of projection here, and the Buckeyes start the year against Texas.
But there's a certain level of excitement that comes with so much change. Can the Buckeyes win their first Big Ten Championship since 2020 and get back to the Playoff?
