The 2025 Ohio State Buckeyes might not have finished their season with confetti falling or a trophy in hand, but make no mistake - this was a powerhouse team that deserves its place among the nation’s elite. Despite a one-and-done showing in the College Football Playoff, the Buckeyes earned a No. 3 spot in the final CBS Sports 136 rankings, edging out semifinalists like Ole Miss and Oregon, and even garnering some votes ahead of the team that knocked them out - the Miami Hurricanes.
That’s right. Miami, who surged through a gauntlet of Texas A&M, Ohio State, and Ole Miss before falling just short against Indiana in the national title game, made one of the biggest leaps in the final rankings.
The Hurricanes climbed eight spots to finish at No. 2, just behind unanimous No. 1 Indiana.
But what’s striking is that there was still no clear consensus on the teams right behind them - Ohio State, Ole Miss, and Oregon all landed in the 3-5 range, with average ballot positions between 4.0 and 4.8. That tells you how tightly packed the top tier was, and how much respect voters still had for the Buckeyes despite their early CFP exit.
And that respect? It was earned.
Ohio State’s regular season was nothing short of dominant. They rolled through their schedule with a level of consistency and explosiveness that had them pegged as a national title contender from the outset.
But the postseason didn’t go according to script. A tough loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship knocked them off course, and their CFP run ended abruptly with a loss to Miami in the Cotton Bowl.
Still, when you look at what Miami went on to do - pushing Indiana to the brink in the title game - it puts that Buckeyes loss in a different light.
What makes this Ohio State team so compelling is how loaded they were, and how much talent they’re sending to the next level. Linebackers Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles, safety Caleb Downs, wide receiver Carnell Tate, and defensive tackle Kayden McDonald are all NFL-bound.
Quarterback Julian Sayin was in the thick of the Heisman conversation. And offensive coordinator Brian Hartline?
He’s now a head coach, taking over the USF Bulls. That’s the kind of season that leaves a legacy, even if it didn’t end with hardware.
In the new 12-team CFP format, simply being great in the regular season isn’t enough to etch your name into history. You’ve got to finish.
But that doesn’t mean we should forget how dominant Ohio State was before the postseason. This was one of the most complete and consistent teams in the country, and they played like it for most of the year.
So while the box score from the Cotton Bowl might not tell the full story, the CBS Sports 136 rankings offer a more nuanced picture. Ohio State wasn’t just a playoff participant - they were a legitimate top-three team in the country, even if the final result didn’t reflect that.
Years from now, when we look back on the 2025 season, the Buckeyes’ ending might be overshadowed by Indiana’s rise or Miami’s run. But make no mistake: this Ohio State team was special. And thanks to rankings like this one, there’s at least a record of just how good they really were.