The Ohio State football team will come into the 2025 season as the defending national champs. They have been basking in that glory all offseason long, although they did not win the Big Ten. In fact, the Ohio State Buckeyes haven't won the Big Ten since the 2020 season.
Winning the conference is no longer a prerequisite to winning the national championship. With the College Football Playoff including 12 teams, the Buckeyes just have to get hot at the end of the year, as they showed in 2024. Still, winning the Big Ten is one of their stated goals every year.