Talk to anyone who follows college football in an unbiased way, and there’s little doubt about Ohio State being the most consistent program throughout history. That doesn’t always mean the Buckeyes are the best program at any moment in time, but they have been pretty recession-proof. Seems like whoever is wearing the headset has had a shot at a national championship, and that’s definitely been the case in the 200s with Jim Tressel, Urban Meyer, and Ryan Day all hoisting the trophy once, and all have had a shot at more than one a few times.
But what about right now? What is the best college football program, specifically in the Big Ten? Indiana won a College Football Playoff national championship last season, Michigan* won in 2023, and Oregon is a very hot program right now with several CFP appearances and fantastic recruiting classes stacked upon each other.
USA TODAY’s Paul Myerberg made an effort to rank the best programs in the Big Ten, and we’re sure you are interested in where Ohio State landed. Did OSU get overtaken by Indiana? Is Oregon right there? What about Michigan? You’ll be happy to know that Myerberg has Ohio State as the No. 1 program in the Big Ten, and it would be interesting to see where the Buckeyes would land if this were taken to the national level. Myerberg had some very compelling reasons for ranking OSU on top.
“The Buckeyes are 165-21 since 2012. In 2024, Ryan Day became the program’s third full-time coach in a row to win a national championship,” wrote Myerberg. “What else is there to say? Ohio State has won at least 10 games of every full season but one since 2005. It is simply the Bowl Subdivision gold standard and the envy of every program in the country in and out of the Big Ten.”
That’s hard to argue with, and a lot of what we believe, too. So, how did things line up behind Ohio State? Myerberg has Indiana No. 2 fresh off the national title, followed by Oregon (3), Michigan (4), and Penn State (5), rounding out the top five. Here’s how the full rankings appeared according to Myerberg.
USA TODAY: Paul Myerberg ranks the Big Ten college football programs
That’s a pretty good list, though look for some shuffling of this order over the next few years. USC is going to figure things out at some point, and teams like Washington, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Michigan State have the pedigree to make a move as well. There is one constant, though, and that has always seemed to come up as Scarlet and Gray.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: USA TODAY ranks the best Big Ten college football programs
Reporting by Phil Harrison, Buckeyes Wire / Buckeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Phil Harrison, Buckeyes Wire | USA TODAY Network
