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2025 Season: Are You Ready For Some Football?

RJ Young sends clear message on Ohio State, Indiana after Hoosiers' win over Oregon

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The Ohio State Buckeyes are the clear No. 1 team in the country. The Indiana Hoosiers are the clear No. 2 team. FOX Sports' RJ Young (article below) broke down the two Big Ten teams' place atop their conference and the country.

Young had several similes to describe OSU's status atop the sport. He also showed love for the team's dynamic passing game, led by Julian Sayin, and the team's strong defense under first-year defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.

Ohio State defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini 34-16 in Champaign, while Indiana knocked off the Oregon Ducks 30-20 in Eugene. Young predicts the two teams playing in the Big Ten Championship Game.

"That's 10 in a row for the Buckeyes — and counting," Young wrote.

"Ten straight games where teams show up with a bat to play Ohio State, thinking they can hack it — only to get cracked with it. And you can’t expect Illinois to be better with a bat than the Detroit Tigers in a winner-take-all game.

"Ohio State remains the team to beat in college football, now 6-0. That's six times this season the Buckeyes have punched a concave crater in their opponent’s chest — like Ox Baker throwing a cross with Radio Raheem's rings on.

"Julian Sayin threw for 166 yards and two touchdowns, while Ohio State's defense continued to impress with three turnovers that all resulted in touchdowns.

"The Buckeyes are now allowing 6.8 points per game, which is the fewest points allowed by an Ohio State program through six games since 1975.

"The Hoosiers went to Autzen and did what no other Big Ten team had been able to in the regular season since Oregon joined the conference: beat the Ducks.

"In doing so, Indiana cemented itself as the second-best team in the Big Ten — and is now on a collision course with Ohio State to play for the conference title, if both teams can run the table."

Ryan Day has done a bang-up job replacing a team that lost most of its top players to the NFL draft, with others running out of eligibility. Curt Cignetti has done one of the greatest turnarounds in the sport's history, lifting an IU squad not usually known for competing for much to the College Football Playoff.

Beating the Ducks is big-time. IU has arrived.

Just not where OSU resides just yet.

2025 College Football Rankings: Ohio State Steady, Indiana Soars, Oregon Falls

With that, here's a look at my Top 25 rankings following Week 7 of the college football season:

1. Ohio State (6-0)

Week 7 result: Defeated Illinois, 34-16
Julian Sayin threw for 166 yards and two touchdowns, while Ohio State's defense continued to impress with three turnovers that all resulted in touchdowns.
The Buckeyes are now allowing 6.8 points per game, which is the fewest points allowed by an Ohio State program through six games since 1975.

2. Indiana ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(6-0)

Week 7 result: Defeated Oregon, 30-20
The Hoosiers went to Autzen and did what no other Big Ten team had been able to in the regular season since Oregon joined the conference: beat the Ducks.
In doing so, Indiana cemented itself as the second-best team in the Big Ten — and is now on a collision course with Ohio State to play for the conference title, if both teams can run the table.

3. Miami (Fla.) (5-0)

Week 7 result: Idle
 
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Jeremiah Smith Confident in 2025 Buckeyes: “This Team Is Better Than Last Year’s Team”​



"This year's team, we want to make a name for ourselves. We want to go down in the history books as the team (to win national titles) back-to-back," Smith told former Ohio State running back Beanie Wells. "I feel like this team is better than last year's team. That's what I feel."

 
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I was having a convo with a buddy about this. We were saying that this was going to be the year that the rest of CFB is going to pray that OSU is down. Because 2026 and on could see an unprecedented run. But the fact that they're ahead of schedule this year, and could win it all again, shoudl terrify the rest of the country. This year, Sayin was supposed to be bad and terrified against Texas, OSU was supposed to be tested against Washington and Illinois, many analysts had OSU losing to Ped St and the consensus was that OSU was a 2 loss team. That narrative has now been tossed out of the window and an undefeated OSU is easily attainable. And while other teams have a ton of questions, OSU has only gotten stronger. And is doing this with a bunch of underclassmen
 
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I don't want to dismiss IU, but the only argument I keep hearing for them over OSU is that they beat Illinois by 50pts and OSU didn't. And then some people are saying that they beat Oregon in Eugene, and OSU didn't(not realizing that that was last year with a different team).
IU played 3 of the worst teams in CFB to start(I'd say that Ohio would dominate all 3 of those teams), they beat Iowa who just learned to use the forward pass, and a yearly mid MSU team. It's safe to say that they won't face a team this year with the firepower of OSU, and with a defense as dominant as OSU's
 
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Last year’s Ohio State team was motivated. This year’s Ohio State team is exactly the same. The Buckeyes are, as Ryan Day called them on Wednesday, business-like, locked in and focused.

“Every year is different. It’s a different group of guys, but I think the mindset of this team is that they’re business-like, they’re locked in, they’re focused right now on what they want to get done, and that’s the most important thing. We know we want to be playing our best football down the stretch, and that’s it.

“And I think these guys embrace it, man. They want to bring it every day. We’re chasing history here at Ohio State, and they know that. That was the vision early on in the season, and then the challenge is to focus every week on being your best and being the hardest-playing team in the country and getting our job done.

“Different group, different dynamic, different coaching staff, different chemistry — just everything about it is different. That’s what I said to the guys the other day. We’re writing a different story right now, and we’re in control of that. That’s what’s great about being at Ohio State, you’re in control of what’s going on, and that’s it. That’s what we’re going to focus on, what we can control. And the rest of it is just noise, and we have to stay focused this time of the season.”

Excuse me, I have to find a brick wall.
 
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Nine Ohio State Players Named Finalists for National Awards​

By Andy Anders on November 25, 2025 at 12:06 pm @andyanders55
Caleb Downs

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Ohio State might need an extra vehicle for its trophy haul at the College Football Awards on Dec. 12.
Buckeyes are finalists for nine different national awards. One player from each level of Ohio State's defense will have a chance at hardware. Safety Caleb Downs is nominated for no less than four.
A 2024 finalist for the Thorpe Award, given to the nation's best defensive back, Downs will get a second shot at winning the trophy after Tennessee cornerback Jahdae Barron ultimately took it home last season. But Downs' ambitions go beyond being recognized as the best defensive back in the nation. He's also up for both major defensive player of the year awards: the Chuck Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
Completing the quartet of finalist nods for Downs is the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which is given annually to a defensive player who shows excellence both on the field and in the community. Downs, the centerpiece of another No. 1 scoring and total Ohio State defense again in 2025, has 49 tackles with five tackles for loss, a sack, two interceptions and a pass breakup this season.
Quarterback Julian Sayin is Ohio State's other player up for multiple awards, the Davey O'Brien Award (best quarterback) and Maxwell Award (best player). Finalists for the Heisman Trophy, which Sayin is considered a central candidate for, won't be announced until after voting is concluded on Dec. 8. Sayin leads the nation in completion percentage (79.4%) this season and is tied for fourth in yards per pass attempt (9.4). He's racked up 2,832 passing yards and 27 touchdowns with just four interceptions in total.
Jeremiah Smith, to little surprise, is a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which goes to college football's best receiver. The sophomore sensation's stats are fantastic, even after missing the last one-and-a-half games, with 69 receptions for 902 yards and 10 touchdowns. But beyond that, it's the gravity he brings when on the field for Ohio State, drawing hordes of defenders his direction to open up other players. It's a direct driver of Sayin's nation-best completion rate.
Arvell Reese is up for the Butkus Award, given to the nation's best linebacker, as one of the biggest breakout stars in college football this year. A weapon of strength, burst, instinct and violence, Reese has been deployed all over the place by defensive coordinator Matt Patricia for Ohio State this year, and he's been a terror. Reese has 59 tackles with 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks this season.
Lastly but not leastly, defensive tackle Kayden McDonald is a finalist for the Outland Trophy, given to the best interior lineman – that's offense or defense – in college football. A space-eater at nose guard, McDonald's stat line is incredible for the position, with 47 tackles, eight TFLs, three sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Ohio State's run defense is No. 2 nationally (80 yards allowed per game) with McDonald as its anchor.
National Award Finalists
PLAYER AWARD
S CALEB DOWNS BEDNARIK AWARD, NAGURSKI TROPHY, LOTT IMPACT TROPHY, THORPE AWARD
DT KAYDEN MCDONALD OUTLAND TROPHY
LB ARVELL REESE BUTKUS AWARD
QB JULIAN SAYIN DAVEY O'BRIEN AWARD, MAXWELL AWARD
WR JEREMIAH SMITH BILETNIKOFF AWARD
 
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This year’s Ohio State Buckeyes are the Greg Maddux of college football

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Whether it’s the silly strength-of-schedule argument or the idea that Ohio State hasn’t played an aesthetically pleasing brand of football this fall, haters around the country have been trying to downplay the Buckeyes’ dominance for weeks. They’ve tried to argue that since Ohio State has blown out all of its opponents and hasn’t been in a close game since the season opener, they aren’t actually good because they haven’t been pushed.

Now, you and I both know that’s all a bunch of poppycock. While SEC apologists will do whatever they can to downplay the successes of any team outside their sacred footprint, advanced analytics don’t lie. The Buckeyes are the best team in the country, and it’s not especially close; in fact, the only competition truly even close is the other undefeated Big Ten team, the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers.

Whether it is the gold standard of college football ratings systems, SP+, or the most respected single advanced analytics stat in college football, Adj. EPA/Play (Adjusted Extra Points Anticipated per Play), Ohio State is clearly head and shoulders above the pack.

SP+ has the Buckeyes as the No. 1 team in the country with the No. 6 offense and No. 1 defense. With a score of 32.4, the model from ESPN’s Bill Connolly has the Buckeyes nearly 10% better than No. 2 Indiana, which has a score of 29.9. That’s the kind of separation you’d expect to see between tiers of teams, not between No. 1 and No. 2.

According to Adj. EPA/Play, which measures how much each play increases or decreases a team’s chance of scoring, and is adjusted for both quality of opponent and garbage time, the Buckeyes average +0.38 points per play, while No. 2 Oregon is at only +0.25. That means that there is as big a gap between Ohio State and the second most efficient team in college football as there is between the Ducks and the 22nd most efficient team in college football.

I guess if I were rooting for a conference (also, who roots for a conference rather than their specific team?) clearly falling behind now that everyone is legally allowed to pay players, I would try to downplay unbiased analytics and hype up idiotic propaganda about needing to be trailing in the fourth quarter just to prove how good you are, too. Maybe, and hear me out, the reason no one has challenged Ohio State in college football this season is that no one in college football is able to challenge Ohio State this season.

As I was watching a powered-down Ohio State demolish Rutgers last weekend while playing without its top two offensive playmakers, having stopped showing anything creative for three weeks, getting by on talent and technique alone, and saving everything that makes them special for their rivals, I realized that the reason people couldn’t truly appreciate the precision with which the Buckeyes have operated this season is the same reason that baseball fans a generation ago were often underwhelmed by watching Greg Maddux pitch.

Maddux wasn’t the best pitcher of his era because his stuff simply overwhelmed opponents; he dominated hitters for over two decades because his attention to detail eliminated nearly every imaginable margin for error. Perhaps the Buckeyes don’t have the most overwhelming fastball in college football (I would argue that they do, but they just haven’t had to show it that yet), but neither did Maddux. Maybe Ohio State’s dominance has been more methodical than eye-popping, but the same can be said for the man nicknamed The Professor. Perhaps OSU’s style of play this season is more meticulous than sexy, but as Maddux understood decades ago, “Chicks dig the long ball.”

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has said this season that the Buckeyes will step on the gas when the time is right, and I have a feeling he was talking about today’s game against That Team Up North. Similarly, Maddux could pull out a 95 mph fastball when he needed to, but his precision and execution were just so elite that it often was unnecessary.

The Atlanta Braves’ great could dominate opponents with pinpoint accuracy and his preternatural ability to put the ball exactly where it needed to be. Similarly, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin is leading the country with a staggering 79.4% completion percentage (honestly disappointed that it’s dropped below 80%), 5.1% better than anyone in the FBS. But the real Madduxian brilliance shows up on defense — a unit giving up just 7.64 points per game, on the verge of a historic regular-season showing.

The 2025-26 Buckeyes are the thinking man’s college football team. Completion percentage and points allowed aren’t exactly the first stats that people go to when salivating over historically great teams, but they are what have made this Buckeye squad stand out from the college football also-rans. We all know that the Buckeyes’ roster is stacked with elite athletes on both sides of the ball — from Jeremiah Smith to Caleb Downs, from Sonny Styles to Bo Jackson — but their success has been built on far more than just physical gifts.
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While the running game is just recently finding its footing (5.67 yards per carry against admittedly poor defenses over the last three weeks), as a whole, the Buckeye offense is Maddux-level efficient.

So while everybody outside of Buckeye Nation might not yet be enamored by Ohio State’s style of play, anyone with a passing understanding of the game and its metrics realizes that what this team is doing this season is remarkable, and now that the postseason has begun, it’s time to take the restrictor plate and put the pedal to the metal. If you thought last year’s postseason run was impressive, wait until Day and company combine Nolan Ryan talent and ability with Greg Maddux execution and efficiency as they head into Ann Arbor to break a streak and continue building a dynasty the 1990s Braves could only dream about.

Just sayin': Well, it's a totally different comparison.....:cool:
 
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