The Ohio State Buckeyes are hoping to do something that the program has never been able to accomplish. Head coach Ryan Day wants to lead the Buckeyes to back-t0-back national championships for the first time in its long and remarkable history.
Ohio State will kick off the 2025 college football season by hosting the top-ranked Texas Longhorns. Long before the College Football Playoffs were expanded, a loss in the first week of the season to another highly ranked program could prove to be a major problem for any team that had aspirations of winning the national championship.
That is no longer the case. Ohio State could lose this game and one more during the Big Ten season and still find a way to win the conference championship and gain a bye in the first round of the postseason. So, Arch Manning and the Longhorns could come into Ohio Stadium and pull off a significant victory — by seven points or more — and it would largely be no more than annoyance for the Buckeyes.
While many observers expect Texas to do just that, Day and the Buckeyes are not going to give the game to the Longhorns. While the Buckeyes lost 14 players to the NFL after winning the national championship last year, they are still loaded with talent and they should be formidable again this year. Ohio State is a 1.5-point favorite in the season opener, but it will take a monumental effort to come out of the game with a victory.
Whether Ohio State wins the opener or not, the Buckeyes will finish the season as one of the top four teams in the nation and they will have a 50-50 chance of playing for the national title for the second year in a row.
Jeremiah Smith will have another dominant season
While the national championship is always the primary objective for elite college football teams, it is not the only claim to superiority for the most high-profile teams. There is a battle between Ohio State and LSU for the program that produces the best and most explosive wide receivers.
Perhaps LSU has taken the lead with Justin Jefferson of the Vikings and Ja'Marr Chase of the Bengals leading the way. However, Ohio State is right on the Tigers' tails with Terry McLaurin, Marvin Harrison and Jaxon Smith-Njigba not far behind.
However, the Buckeyes may be ready to fire their best shot when sophomore Jeremiah Smith enters the draft. He could turn out to be one of the best receivers ever.
The 6-3, 216-pound Smith was one of the sport's most highly touted freshman wideouts a year ago and he was sensational. He caught 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns a year ago.
Smith had razor-sharp quarterback Will Howard throwing him passes a year ago and that helped him put brilliant numbers on the board.
This year Julian Sayin will be under center for the Buckeyes. While it may take 2-3 games for Sayin to hit his stride, he has a strong arm, a smooth release and the ability to string passes together. Having Smith as a target will make him a better quarterback and the receiver may turn out to be one of the primary reasons that Ohio State makes another run at the national championship this season.
Buckeyes have a chance to play dominant defense
Look for Ohio State's defense to face a major challenge in the Week 1 game against the Longhorns, and that game will probably pay huge dividends as the season progresses.
The Buckeyes will not face a better offensive team than Texas, and that game will help the defense steel itself for the tougher games against Big Ten opponents.
The two most impactful players will be linebacker Sonny Styles and defensive end Kenyatta Jackson. Styles had 53 tackles last year and 4.5 tackles for loss. At 6-4 and 235 pounds, he has size, strength and speed to take over multiple games.
Jackson has a chance to be a breakout pass rusher. He could turn out to be unstoppable as the season progresses because he looks a freight train coming around the corner.
The 6-6, 265-pound Jackson had 25 tackles, 3.0 sacks and 3 tackles for loss last year. That should be just the tip of what he produces this season. Opposing offensive linemen will find it nearly impossible to slow Jackson down this season.
