The Ohio State football team has been stewing all offseason. After a 12-0 start to the 2025 season, the Buckeyes lost the final two games they played. Quite frankly, they got handled at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball in both the Big Ten Championship and the Cotton Bowl.
This year, the Buckeyes should have a scarier offense. With Julian Sayin in his second year as a starter and Jeremiah Smith in his final year in Columbus, the team should be very hard to stop. Even with Carnell Tate now in the NFL, Ohio State should still have plenty of talent at receiver.
Defensively, the team will have more questions. With Matt Patricia back, the Ohio State Buckeyes feel very good about that side of the ball. Apparently, ESPN also loves what the Buckeyes have coming into the season. In fact, they are rated first in one important metric.
Ohio State is rated first in ESPN's FPI metric
Before the season begins, the Buckeyes sit atop ESPN's FPI metric. In fact, they have Ohio State as the team that has the best chance to win a national championship. They have the Bucks rated as having a 17.2 percent chance to win it all. Not only that, but FPI is giving Ohio State a 28.2 percent chance to make the national championship.
Surprisingly, the team rated just below them in second place is the Texas Longhorns. Ohio State has a chance to knock them off that pedestal in Week 2 when they take the Longhorns in Austin. Arch Manning has been getting a lot of preseason hype again, and the Bucks can have him be sad again.
Personally, I don't love FPI. It's a flawed metric that gives too much bias to the previous season's results and doesn't account enough for roster changes. That's why, for years, it would have five SEC teams in the top eight. However, it's nice to see Ohio State at the top of the list.
The Buckeyes have a giant target on their backs
Of course, Ohio State is going to have a major target on its back. They do every single year, and this year will be no different. With the Big Ten having won three straight national titles, Texas is going to want to protect home-field advantage and take down the Buckeyes for the first time in three tries.
Even within the conference, the Buckeyes are going to have to take big shots from USC and Indiana. Michigan seems to be a program in shambles, but The Game is always a big one. Ohio State has the toughest schedule they have had in the last few years.
Despite all of the factors going against this Ohio State football team, the metrics give the Buckeyes a great chance to win it all. Ohio State has to figure out a way to win at least 10 games on its schedule. Doing that will get them into the College Football Playoff with a shot to win it all.
Add us as a preferred source on Google