When was the last time Ohio State won a national championship in football?
The Ohio State Buckeyes are one of the most storied programs in college football history but that just means expectations are forever high in Columbus. Head coach Ryan Day can win 10 games a season until the end of time, it won't matter if he doesn't deliver a national championship at the end of it all.
Ohio State has a chance to raise the trophy at the conclusion of the 2024 College Football Playoff. They smacked around Tennessee and Oregon in the first round and quarterfinals. If they manage to pull off two more wins, they'll sit atop the CFB mountaintop.
It would be their first championship in a decade.
Ohio State's last national championship was in 2014
The Buckeyes last tasted championship glory in 2014. Urban Meyer's team upset the Alabama Crimson Tide and rolled over the Oregon Ducks in the inaugural College Football Playoff.
Cardale Jones and Ezekiel Elliott led the offense while Joey Bosa headlined a star-studded defense.
Since the 42-20 title game victory, the Ohio State has only played for the championship once. That was in 2020, Ryan Day's second season in charge. After a win in the Sugar Bowl, the were thoroughly beaten by Alabama, 52-24.
List of Ohio State's claimed national championships
Ohio State claims eight national titles.
Year (Record) | Coach | Selectors |
|---|---|---|
1942 (9-1) | Paul Brown | AP |
1954 (10-0) | Woody Hayes | AP |
1957 (9-1) | Woody Hayes | FWAA, Coaches |
1961 (8-0-1) | Woody Hayes | FWAA |
1968 (10-0) | Woody Hayes | AP, FWAA, NFF, Coaches |
1970 (9-1) | Woody Hayes | NFF (co-champ) |
2002 (14-0) | Jim Tressel | BCS, AP, FWAA, NFF, Coaches |
2014 (14-1) | Urban Meyer | CFP, AP, NFF, Coaches |
In addition to the claimed titles, the Buckeyes were also dubbed national champions by other selectors in 1933, 1944, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 2006.
Ohio State record in the College Football Playoff
Ohio State has a 4-4 record in the College Football playoff. A win over Oregon in the Rose Bowl would give them a 5-4 mark.
The Buckeyes won their first two matchups in the 2014 playoff but lost their next two. They fell to Clemson in 2016 and 2019, first as a No. 3 seed and again as a No. 2. They got their revenge on the Tigers in 2020. A narrow loss to Georgia in 2022 knocked them out of contention. They started the 2024 playoff right with a first-round victory over Tennessee.
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