Ohio State fans are a different breed. If you walk into a Buckeyes bar in January and see "No. 3" next to their name, you might expect high-fives and celebration. Instead, it feels more like a wake. The latest Ohio State ranking in football has the Buckeyes sitting at No. 3 in the final AP and Coaches polls for the 2025 season, but the mood in Columbus is anything but bronze-medal happy.
Coming off a national championship in 2024, the expectations for Ryan Day were "repeat or bust." They didn't repeat.
Honestly, it was a weird year. The Buckeyes finished 12-2. They didn't lose a single game in the regular season. Not one. They even beat Michigan in Ann Arbor, a 27-9 defensive masterclass that should have bought Ryan Day a lifetime of goodwill. But then the wheels hit some very specific, very frustrating mud.
The Reality of the Ohio State Ranking in Football Right Now
The numbers look great on paper, but the context is what kills you. Ohio State finished the 2025 season ranked No. 3, trailing only the undefeated national champion Indiana Hoosiers (yeah, you read that right) and the runner-up Georgia Bulldogs.
Here is how the top of the pile shook out after the dust settled:
💡 You might also like: Cómo entender la tabla de Copa Oro y por qué los puntos no siempre cuentan la historia completa
- No. 1 Indiana (15-0): The story of the century. They beat Ohio State twice.
- No. 2 Georgia (12-2): Kirby Smart is still Kirby Smart.
- No. 3 Ohio State (12-2): Perfect regular season, zero hardware.
- No. 4 Texas Tech (12-2): The surprise of the Big 12.
- No. 5 Oregon (13-2): A solid year, but they couldn't leapfrog the Buckeyes.
The problem for Buckeyes fans isn't the "3." It's the two losses that got them there. They lost 13-10 to Indiana in a rock-fight of a Big Ten Championship game. Then, they got stunned 24-14 by Miami in the Cotton Bowl (a CFP Quarterfinal).
You've got a team that held every single regular-season opponent to 16 points or less. That hasn't happened in college football since the 1975 Florida Gators. And yet, when the lights were brightest in the postseason, the offense just sort of... evaporated.
Why Julian Sayin and the Offense Stalled
Julian Sayin is a stud. Nobody is arguing that. He threw for over 3,600 yards and 32 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman. That's elite. But in that Miami game, the offensive line looked human for the first time all year.
Sayin was pressured on nearly 40% of his dropbacks. When your superstar quarterback is running for his life, it doesn't matter how many five-star recruits you have at wide receiver. Jeremiah Smith still got his—87 catches for 1,243 yards is a joke for a sophomore—but the rhythm was gone.
📖 Related: Ohio State Football All White Uniforms: Why the Icy Look Always Sparks a Debate
The Ohio State ranking in football plummeted from No. 1 (where they sat for most of November) to No. 3 because they couldn't finish the job. It's the "Ryan Day Curse" some fans are whispering about again, even though he literally won the title a year ago.
People are fickle.
Looking Ahead to 2026: Can They Get Back to No. 1?
If you're looking at the 2026 outlook, there's reason to be bullish. The Buckeyes are currently sitting with the No. 3 recruiting class in the country, according to 247Sports. They’ve got 44 commits. That's a massive haul.
- The Quarterback Room: Sayin is back. Tavien St. Clair, the hometown hero, is waiting in the wings.
- The Defense: Caleb Downs and Sonny Styles are the pillars. This unit was the best in the country in 2025, allowing only 9.3 points per game.
- The Motivation: Losing to Indiana twice is going to be plastered all over the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
The early 2026 "Way-Too-Early" polls already have Ohio State in the top five. Most experts, like Connor O'Gara, have them behind Oregon and Georgia, but ahead of a rebuilding Alabama.
👉 See also: Who Won the Golf Tournament This Weekend: Richard T. Lee and the 2026 Season Kickoff
It’s kinda crazy to think that a 12-2 season with a win over Michigan is considered a "down year" in Columbus. But that’s the standard. You don’t come to Ohio State to be No. 3. You come to be the team that everyone else is chasing.
Right now, they're the ones doing the chasing.
What Needs to Change for 2026
The coaching staff is already seeing some shifts. Matt Patricia’s defense was lights out, but the offensive play-calling under Brian Hartline and Chip Kelly faced some heat after the Miami loss. Expect Ryan Day to get more involved in the granular details of the run game. Bo Jackson (the RB, not that one) was great with over 1,000 yards, but they lacked that "home run" threat in the playoff.
Practical Steps for Buckeyes Fans to Track the Rank:
- Watch the Portal: The spring transfer window will determine if they can fix the offensive line depth.
- Monitor the 2026 Class: Keep an eye on five-star defensive targets; they need to replace some departing seniors.
- Spring Game Intel: April in Columbus will tell us if Sayin has taken the "Year 2" leap required to win a natty.
The Ohio State ranking in football will always be a moving target, but as of January 2026, the Buckeyes are a top-three program with a chip on their shoulder the size of the state of Indiana.