Ohio State Completes Greatest Run to CFP National Championship
1/24/2025 12:54:00 PM | Football
Left No Doubt …
Buckeyes defeat five Top 5 and six Top 10 teams this season, including Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame in the CFP
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The greatest run to a national championship in college football history belongs to Ohio State, and the fact check is easy. Start with the Associated Press poll, where the top of the rankings essentially reflects the schedule for the Buckeyes. No program has ever posted wins over five different Top 5 opponents in the same season until Ohio State polished off the College Football Playoff with its historic victory over Notre Dame. And for good measure, the Buckeyes also stormed past Tennessee in the first round of the playoff and defeated playoff participant Indiana in the regular season, officially giving them wins over six Top 10 teams in the final rankings.
Final AP Poll Top 10
1. Ohio State
2. Notre Dame (Ohio State won, 34-23, Jan. 20)
3. Oregon (won, 41-21, Jan. 1)
4. Texas (won, 28-14, Jan. 10)
5. Penn State (won, 20-13, Nov. 2)
6. Georgia
7. Arizona State
8. Boise State
9. Tennessee (won, 42-17, Dec. 20)
10. Indiana (won, 38-15, Nov. 23)
If that doesn’t suffice, maybe the supersized bracket that was printed on white turf outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday can serve as a simple reminder: There has never been a 12-team College Football Playoff, so no team has ever won four consecutive postseason games to claim a national title.
The Buckeyes also made history a decade ago with an epic tear following a blowout victory in the Big Ten championship before winning the inaugural four-team CFP, but even that path is now difficult to compare to the gauntlet the Ryan Day-led, 2024 version just faced.
One of the Best Teams Ever
On the off chance there was any lingering doubt about the case for Ohio State, all four of those playoff victories wound up being by double-digit margins after a late field goal sealed the 34-23 decision against the Irish.
“The stories of these guys will be told because they've cemented themselves in Ohio State history,” head coach Ryan Day said. “We finished the season the right way, and we grew. We built, and we responded to tough times. Man, isn't that what life is all about?
“These guys learned a bunch of life lessons, but they're going to go down in Ohio State history as one of the greatest teams to ever play at Ohio State. After all the things that have been said throughout the year, these guys are going to be cemented as one of the best stories in Ohio State history – and one of the best football teams ever.”
The conversation about the best team ever is certainly subjective and will always be open for debate. But in terms of most deserving, there is truly no room for argument after the championship was settled between the lines by the largest, most competitive field of contenders the sport has ever seen.
Maybe someday in the future there will be a champion that faces a more daunting schedule, passes more tests from ranked opponents or winds up with a playoff draw that is technically more difficult than Ohio State. But at this point, the Buckeyes stand alone. And even beyond the raw numbers on paper, the richer context of the journey only enhances the value of what they accomplished.
Thanks to the quirks of the seeding process, Ohio State had to battle No. 7 Tennessee in the first round in one of the coldest games Ohio Stadium has ever hosted. After dominating the Vols, including leading 21-0 in the first quarter, the Buckeyes had to travel across the country to take on unbeaten, top-ranked Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Ohio State rolled to a 34-0 first-half lead and didn’t look back. From there they played a de facto road game against Texas in the Cotton Bowl – a win capped by Jack Sawyer’s legendary, 83-yard scoop and score – and the work still wasn’t even done with Notre Dame on deck in Atlanta with the national crown on the line.
A Foundation Built to Survive
“I think the biggest thing that came out of the season was every day just stacking each day one on top of the other,” Ohio State senior captain Cody Simon said. “You all heard about the foundation and how we're building bricks every single practice. I think that was one of the biggest things that brought this team together to get to this level because you go through camp and you go through the season, and each day kind of molds together. But each day you look back and see the foundation you've been building.
“We knew the end goal was to win this game, and we knew that our foundation was meant to survive for this game.”
No team had ever been tested by this many games, by this many elite opponents or by this kind of playoff format until Ohio State.
So, once the Buckeyes put their hands on that gold-plated trophy on Monday night, they also secured a place in history with the greatest run the sport has ever seen.
