SB Nation    •   4 min read

Ohio State Buckeyes: 2025 Schedule, Predictions, Picks

WHAT'S THE STORY?

Will the Buckeyes go back to the College Football Playoff? (Probably.) Will they win it all? (Well………)

2025 OSU Schedule Notes, Predictions

August 30 – #1 Texas

  Yikes!  Opening the season against the #1 ranked team is a not how you break in a true So QB who has only thrown 12 garbage time passes, and a slew of new starters.  OSU drops this one, but should they win by 2 scores pencil the Buckeyes in the Natty Game.

September 6 – Grambling

September 13 – Ohio University  

Bye week (September 20) – wasted here

September 27 @Washington – Minor concern

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the 1st road game is across the country. Washington should be better in Jedd Fisch’s 2nd year, but he’s not close to winning these games yet.

October 4 – Minnesota

October 11 – @ #12 Illinois  Believe in Bert, baby!  …but not here, nobody is sleeping on the preseason #12, take your sell out game and your loss, and win elsewhere for a CFP invite.

October 18 – @Wisconsin

Bye week (October 25) – opportune time

November 1 – PSU  The preseason AP and Coaches polls have Penn State and OSU swapping the #2 and #3 rankings.  You can sell me on #3 as the ceiling, but given the slew of new starters, I don’t think #2 is justified yet. Ask me again if OSU wins the Texas opener.

November 8 – @Purdue

November 15 – UCLA

November 22 – Rutgers

November 29 – @ #14 tTUN  Nobody is firing Day if he loses to tTUN again.  The question is if it has just been stupid football, or if Day is Cooper2.0?


OSU needs to go 10-2 or better for a CFP invite, which will require avoiding what would be considered huge upsets, and winning at least 1 of 3 against Texas, PSU, and tTUN.  Being defending National Champs would have OSU at the top of the 3 loss P4 candidates, but I wouldn’t count on any 3 loss team getting a CFP invite.  

Given a new OC, DC, and young inexperienced QB, realistically 11-1 should be the ceiling, 9-3 the floor, 8-4 a disaster.  I give OSU about 50/50 to make the CCG, about 3 in 4 to make the CFP.


Thanks to ProveIt for helping us through an extended Ohio State Week and to all of you for reading. How do the Buckeyes finish in 2025? Let us know in the comments.

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