Ohio State’s 2025 Season Exposed a Harsh Truth: The Big Ten Didn’t Prepare Them for the Storm
Heading into the 2025 season, the Ohio State Buckeyes looked every bit the part of a College Football Playoff contender. The schedule was loaded with what appeared to be marquee matchups-Illinois, Penn State, Michigan.
On paper, it looked like a gauntlet. In reality?
It was more like a victory lap.
Ohio State cruised through Big Ten play with barely a scratch. What was supposed to be a series of defining tests turned into routine wins.
And while that might sound like dominance, the lack of true adversity came back to haunt them. First in the Big Ten Championship, where they were stunned by Indiana.
Then came the Cotton Bowl Classic, where the Buckeyes were outclassed by Miami in a double-digit loss that wasn’t as close as the score suggested.
The signs were there. Illinois, expected to be a physical test in the trenches, simply couldn’t hold up up front.
Penn State looked disjointed from the jump, with head coach James Franklin seemingly losing the locker room before the season even found its rhythm. And Michigan?
Sherrone Moore handed the keys to true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, who wasn’t quite ready for the spotlight that comes with The Game.
So instead of being battle-tested, Ohio State rolled into the postseason without ever really being pushed. And when the storm finally came, they didn’t have a response.
It’s easy to look back now and wonder: if those Big Ten matchups had lived up to the hype, would the Buckeyes have been better prepared for what Miami threw at them? Would facing real resistance earlier in the season have forced Ryan Day’s squad to develop the kind of grit you need to survive in the playoff pressure cooker?
That’s the tricky part of being a powerhouse in a conference full of question marks. When your supposed rivals stumble, it’s hard to simulate the kind of intensity and urgency you’ll need when the stakes are highest.
And looking ahead to 2026, it’s fair to ask whether history might repeat itself. Yes, the Buckeyes’ schedule looks daunting on paper.
But that was the case last year, too. Ohio State was the only preseason top-four team to actually make the CFP field.
Texas just missed the cut. Penn State and Clemson?
They ended up in the Pinstripe Bowl.
The truth is, there are plenty of big-name programs with big budgets and passionate fanbases on Ohio State’s upcoming slate. But many of those same programs have a tendency to underdeliver when it matters. Whether it’s internal dysfunction, coaching instability, or just plain inconsistency, the Buckeyes can’t count on their opponents to give them the kind of challenge they need.
That’s the paradox for a team like Ohio State. They’re good enough to make tough games look easy.
But when the real test comes-when the talent gap narrows and the margin for error disappears-they need to be ready. And that means finding ways to stay sharp, even when the schedule doesn’t demand it.
Because if 2025 taught us anything, it’s that cruising through the Big Ten might get you to the playoff. But it won’t get you through it.