Ohio State’s football season was eventually going to end. Unfortunately, the 2025 season ended about three weeks earlier than Buckeye Nation would have preferred it to. Last season, Ohio State won the national
championship in the middle of January, and with the title celebration coming about a week later, Buckeye fans didn’t have to find something else to occupy their time until nearly February.
This year is a whole different story. Now, less than a week into January, Ohio State fans have to figure out what they’ll be watching the rest of the winter. It doesn’t help those around Ohio that both the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals have missed the NFL playoffs, the Columbus Blue Jackets have made a habit of blowing leads in the third period, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have underperformed so far this season. Luckily, there are a number of other Buckeye teams that deserve your attention during the coldest months of the year.
Today, we want to know which Ohio State winter sports team your attention will now be focused on, now that football season for the Buckeyes is over. The men’s and women’s basketball teams have gotten off to strong starts this season, but we have seen this movie before. Ohio State’s men’s hockey team is having a hard time finding its groove after making the NCAA Tournament last year, but the women’s hockey team has reloaded after making its fourth straight title game last year. We also can’t forget about the wrestling team, which is usually one of the best in the country. No matter who you are going to be focused on, we all can agree on our love for Ohio State!
Today’s question: Which Ohio State winter sports team will you be focused on?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: Ohio State women’s hockey
Ohio State’s women’s hockey team is looking to make its fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament Championship Game. The Buckeyes have shown they still belong in the conversation as one of the top teams in the country, opening up the season with a 17-3 record. Nadine Muzerall’s team went into the holiday break on a low note, losing two games at home to Wisconsin by a combined score of 8-2. The Badgers have been the primary nemesis for the Buckeyes over the last three years, meeting Ohio State in each of the last three title games.
The Buckeyes returned from the holiday break with two wins at home, and this week they’ll be hitting the road to take on St. Cloud State. The biggest stretch for Ohio State will take place in early February when they head to Madison for two games against Wisconsin, followed by two at home against Minnesota. The only other team to beat the Buckeyes this year has been Minnesota, which earned a 6-3 win over Ohio State back in the middle of October in Minneapolis.
What makes the women’s hockey team so exciting to watch this year is that they return their top two scorers from last season. Joy Dunne currently leads the team with 18 goals, which already puts her within 11 goals of matching her total from the 2024-25 season. Jocelyn Amos is coming off a sophomore season that saw her score 27 goals and dish out 25 assists. So far this season, Amos has been quiet with 17 points, but her play will likely ramp up as the NCAA Tournament nears.
Complimenting Dunne and Amos are a couple of freshmen. The team’s leading scorer is Hilda Svensson, who has 13 goals and 23 assists in her first season in Columbus. Svensson already has experience on the biggest of stages, as she was a member of Sweden’s 2024 World Championship squad, leading the team in scoring. Joining the youth movement for the Buckeyes is Sanni Vanhanen of Finland. Vanhanen already has an Olympic medal to her credit, as she was part of the country’s bronze medal team in 2022.
With how the teams have performed this year, it’s likely we’ll get another edition of Ohio State and Wisconsin in the title game. At least for Buckeye fans, with the trend of the programs alternating titles over the last three seasons, this year lines up for the Buckeyes to win their third national championship under Muzerall!
Matt’s answer: Ohio State softball
Living over 1,000 miles from Columbus, it is tough for me to stay too tuned into Ohio State teams that aren’t featured heavily on TV. So, beyond the football team and the men’s and women’s basketball squads, it can be hard keep up on the OSU athletics goings on.
However, I am hoping to spend some more time following Ohio State softball this “spring.” I put spring in quotation marks because the Buckeyes will take to the diamond for their first regular season game one month from today on Feb. 6 in the Paradise Classic in Boca Raton.
I spent a decade of my life coaching and working in softball at the club, high school, college, and professional levels, so I love the sport, and have long wanted to see the Buckeyes be legitimate contenders for, not only a Big Ten title, but a berth in the Women’s College World Series. It is difficult for any Upper Midwest squad to break through in a sport dominated by teams south of the Mason-Dixon Line or on the West Coast, but teams like Michigan and Northwestern have proven that it is possible; so there is hope for the Scarlet and Gray.
Last season was the first for new OSU head coach Kirin Kumar. In her first campaign in Columbus, Ohio State finished an impressive 45-14-1 and tied for fourth in the conference’s regular season standings. The Buckeyes had the nation’s top scoring offense, putting up 495 runs and hitting 147 home runs, which led the country and set a new program and Big Ten record.
What made the offensive output even more impressive is that it was a complete team effort. OSU became the first team in NCAA history to have four players hit 20 or more home runs in a single season; two of those players will return for this season. The Buckeyes spent the second half of the season ranked in the top 25, and Kumar’s staff was named the Softball America National Coaching Staff of the Year.
So, for the first time in a longtime, there is reason to be excited about the Buckeye softball season. Last year, OSU went 2-2 in the NCAA Tournament, falling to the host Tennessee Volunteers twice in the regionals. But if Kumar’s squad is able to improve upon last year’s success, a berth in the Super Regionals, or even WCWS, is a legitimate possibility.
