The Ohio State football team completed the longest college football season in history in 2024. They ended up playing 16 games in the entire season after having a four-game College Football Playoff run to end it. The Buckeyes didn't finish the season until January 20th.
Because the season lasted so long, the Ohio State Buckeyes have decided to change how they're going to do things this Spring. They have already announced that they will start Spring ball later than they normally do. This year, they will be starting Spring practice after Spring Break.
They will also not be doing a traditional Spring Game like they have in the past. They will be doing what they call a Spring contest. No one knows what that means yet, but Ohio State football fans might want to get used to it because this might be how the Spring is going to go from now on.
The Ohio State football team might have a new Spring routine
Ohio State is expecting to have its season end late every year with the new 12-team CFP. If things go well, they will be ending in late January every year. That's why the Spring routine has changed this season. Fans should probably get used to this every Spring.
This is the first time that Ryan Day is making changes, and it comes after a national championship. This is going to be a trial and error year with how the Spring is put together. Day might decide after next season that things didn't work this Spring, and he decides to change things back to what they used to do next Spring.
Day knows that he's in a delicate balance. He wants to make sure that the players who were on last year's team get enough rest while also making sure the new players get enough reps. It's not an easy thing to do.
This year, a lot of things are different. The Spring cadence, a lot of the coaches, and a lot of the players will be new in 2025. It's going to be interesting to see how it all plays out.