The answer may come as a surprise…
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Unlike Ohio State’s 2024 schedule, which didn’t look very strong heading into the season, the 2025 schedule has a number of tough contests on tap for the defending national champions.
There are at least six contests that should make Ohio State fans a little nervous. Prior to the start of last season, the only games that really drew much of a reaction from fans were the road tilts with Oregon and Penn State, followed by a home game against Michigan to close out the regular season.
The schedule did happen to get a little tougher since Indiana shocked the world with their start to the season, going undefeated before coming to Columbus the Saturday before the Michigan game.
The Buckeyes don’t have quite as many layups this year as they did in 2024. Following the opener against Texas, Ohio State should be able to easily navigate non-conference games where they host Grambling State and Ohio before jumping into Big Ten play.
While last season Ohio State had a tough game against an undefeated Indiana team the weekend before The Game, the Buckeyes should be able to coast into this year’s contest in Ann Arbor since they’ll play on the road at Purdue, followed by home games against UCLA and Rutgers before trying to snap the four-game losing streak to the Wolverines.
Today we are going to dive into which games on Ohio State’s 2025 regular season schedule are the toughest. There are a few that jump out immediately when looking at this year’s schedule, while there are a few others that could be overlooked. The toughest game for the Buckeyes this year in my opinion could surprise a lot of people since it’s against a team that isn’t one of the perennial conference powers of the Big Ten.
Not only will I take a look at the game I think could be Ohio State’s toughest, I’ll also note some of the other ones that could be a little too tense for the liking of Buckeye Nation.
1) At Illinois – Oct. 11
Last year Indiana shocked college football by going 11-1 in the regular season, earning a spot in the College Football Playoff in Curt Cignetti’s first season as head coach of the Hoosiers. Even though Illinois making the playoff this year wouldn’t be quite as surprising as what Indiana did last year, the Fighting Illini are by no means a favorite to make the playoff.
Oddsmakers don’t think Illinois has much of a chance to compete in the Big Ten, since Bret Bielema’s team currently sits with the eighth-lowest odds to win the conference.
It’s crazy it has been nearly a decade since Ohio State and Illinois have met. The last battle for Illibuck came in 2017, with the Buckeyes winning 52-14 in Columbus. The last time Illinois beat Ohio State came in 2007 when Juice Williams and the Fighting Illini pulled off a shocking 28-21 victory in a season that would see them go to the Rose Bowl. Last season was the first year since 2007 that Illinois recorded more than eight wins in a campaign.
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema is already laying the groundwork for the Fighting Illini to be a playoff team this year. Aside from the game against Ohio State, the schedule for Illinois is very manageable, and the Fighting Illini have quarterback Luke Altmyer returning. Weird things always seem to happen in Champaign, which will have me feeling uneasy heading into the game.
Despite Illinois not being as talented as the Buckeyes, Bielema knows what strings to pull to keep his team in the game.
2) Vs. Penn State – Nov. 1
This will be the toughest game of the year for the Buckeyes for many people. Penn State returns quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, along with bringing in former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
The Nittany Lions will be flying high after making the semifinals of the College Football Playoff last year before losing to Notre Dame. Since Penn State was able to win two playoff games, head coach James Franklin will probably think he can finally win a big game.
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Aside from Ohio State being at home for this game, the reason the contest against the Nittany Lions isn’t in the top spot for me is I just don’t respect Franklin enough to believe he can beat the Buckeyes. There’s no doubt his team could threaten Ohio State, Franklin just always finds a way to not be able to complete the job.
The only win for Franklin against Ohio State came on a flukey blocked field return for a touchdown in State College in 2016. With a win this season, the Buckeyes will extend their winning streak against the Nittany Lions to nine games.
3) At Michigan – Nov. 29
For many, losing four straight games to Michigan is unacceptable and this game would be at their top of their list. I’m not as worried about the Wolverines since last year the Buckeyes lost to Michigan and went on to win the College Football Playoff.
It’s almost like the loss to the Wolverines was a wakeup call to Ryan Day and the Buckeyes. With the expansion of the College Football Playoff, Ohio State knows they can lose to Michigan and still be in good shape as long as they handle their business in the games leading up to The Game.
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One of these days, Day isn’t going to let Michigan get in his head. Last year it felt like Michigan made Day call the game they wanted him to play, when it should have been the other way around since it was quite obvious Ohio State was the better team.
I think that because Day now has a national title under his belt, he won’t coach so tight this year, which will allow the Buckeyes to play a little looser and possibly earn their first Big Ten Championship Game appearance since 2020.
4) Vs. Texas – Aug. 30
The College Football Playoff semifinal rematch could be one of the most entertaining games of the season, I just don’t think it will be one of the most important contests. A win is a nice feather in the victor’s cap, while a loss won’t really hurt the loser.
Both teams are replacing so much on both sides of a football that a grace period will be given since there are so many new parts that will be in play. The Labor Day weekend clash will be an outstanding test for both sides, but by no means will it be an elimination game.
5) At Washington – Sept. 27
Ohio State’s first Big Ten game of the season will see them head out to Seattle following a bye week after the Ohio game. There’s no doubt the Buckeyes will be favored against the Huskies, what is a bit worrisome is they’ll be heading out west after a week off.
Last year Ohio State had an issue with slow starts during the regular season, so we could see that issue pop up again since there will be a few things going against them.
Husky Stadium has also been a tough environment to play in over the years. Just ask last year’s Michigan squad. Despite the Buckeyes going into a number of opponent stadiums that hold at least 100,000 fans, this will be the first time Ohio State has done so with this new crop of starters, including presumed starting quarterback Julian Sayin.
The Buckeyes will have to be careful to not let quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and running back Jonah Coleman make some plays early on and allow the Huskies to gain some momentum.