Ohio State is 10-0 for the first time since 2015, and this team seems even better than that one. One of the biggest upsides to this Buckeyes team is the defense and how it has absolutely suffocated opposing offenses. It took time for the offense to start clicking, but they have even started firing on all cylinders before injuries came along.
Ultimately, everyone is talking about this defense and how each player is the top of their position group. The duo of linebackers Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles is unstoppable, and defensive back Caleb Downs is very stingy in the secondary. The line up front can't be forgotten about either.
There is just no weakness to this Matt Patricia defense, and On3's Josh Pate tried to give teams a blueprint of how to get past it, but it just seems unattainable at this level.
Josh Pate compares this Ohio State team to Nick Saban championship teams
“To beat Ohio State it’s going to take an air tight like tightrope walk performance”@colincowherd & @JoshPateCFB discuss the Buckeyes elite defense pic.twitter.com/GlDZGDhKda
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) November 20, 2025
When defensive coordinator Jim Knowles left for Penn State, it definitely worried Buckeyes fans, but Ryan Day made sure to go out and get someone who could keep this defense elite. There were so many names out there to go and get, but Day chose to go with former NFL coach Matt Patricia, a name no one thought of, but it has been one of the best hirings of the season.
Patricia has absolutely turned this defense into an NFL-caliber unit, and On3's Josh Pate agrees, especially with his latest comments on how teams have to perform to try and beat this team.
"There's going to have to be a team, if Ohio State gets eliminated, that puts together such an air-tight, like tightrope walk performance, precision, poise, accuracy, no turnovers, that's what it's going to take," Pate said. "That's what it used to take to beat those Saban teams."
That is a huge comparison for this Ohio State. There is no doubt that Nick Saban is the best college football coach in history. The man won seven National Championships and built one of the most dominant programs in the country at Alabama.
This Ohio State is so dominant, they allow an average of 7.5 points per game right now, which is eight touchdowns in 10 games. Pate is right when he says that in order to beat this team, you have to play a perfect game, or hope to catch them on a bad day.