Despite winning the national championship in 2025 during a playoff journey that saw it blow out Oregon and defeat Texas, Ohio State comes in ranked third in the nation in Pro Football Focus’ way-too-early Top 25 list for the 2025 season.
“Next year’s version of Ohio State will look much different from the one that just delivered the program its first national championship in a decade,” wrote PFF’s Max Chadwick. “Even so, the Buckeyes still return arguably the two best players in college football entering next season in wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs. Smith finished his true freshman season as the most valuable wide receiver in America according to PFF’s wins above average metric while Downs led all safeties in that same metric.
“All eyes will be on redshirt freshman Julian Sayin next year as the projected man under center. He was a top-10 recruit and the No. 2 quarterback in the 2024 cycle. If he lives up to that five-star billing and some uber-talented youngsters step up elsewhere, Ohio State can go back-to-back.”
Ohio State is grossly underrated, and if any team in the country deserves the No. 1 ranking, it’s the Buckeyes. All the top three teams will have new starting quarterbacks, but Ohio State has the playoff wins, better returning roster and the best chance to win the championship compared to Oregon and Texas.
However, that doesn’t mean the Buckeyes are unbeatable. The Bruins have proven they can win on the road in conference play, and Ohio State is undergoing a lot of changes. While it would take a fair bit of luck and a herculean effort by the Bruins, UCLA has a slim opportunity to beat Ohio State.
UCLA is set to play Ohio State on Nov. 15 in Ohio. The Buckeyes may be the No. 1 team in the country at that point. They play Texas in the season opener, and a win could catapult them to one if they aren’t already ranked 3.
The Bruins have two massive problems. That’s guarding expected Biletnikoff winner Jeremiah Smith and dealing with Davison Igbinosun and Caleb Downs in the defensive secondary.
The Bruins do have several advantages as head coach Ryan Day has to replace his coordinators. New offensive coordinator Brian Hartline has never been the primary play-caller in his career, and new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia hasn’t run a successful defense in years.
UCLA offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri has experience facing the Buckeyes in the shoe and Ohio State is replacing majority of the players on the line of scrimmage.
Depending on if Sayin develops into the next Buckeye great quarterback, UCLA could put forth a defensive effort that disrupts the unknown quarterback.
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