The most consistently terrible program in this history of college football just went 16-0.
This was the most impressive season and turnaround the sport has ever seen. Indiana claimed the Heisman, the conference title, the Rose Bowl trophy in gruesome fashion, the Peach Bowl trophy with similar violence - and the national championship beating a team teeming with expensive blue-chip talent on its home field.
Books will be written and movies scripted about the 2025 Hoosiers, who - to borrow Ryan Day’s philosophy - now get to have their stories told forever. Meanwhile, the 2025 Buckeyes just added another chapter to their Regrettably Lost Seasons tome.
If that sounds negative, consider the new national champions don't even have one of those big, sad books. Every single season of IU football has been garbage, the lamentable adulation which accompanies pathetically low expectations - or solid gold.
The way in which Curt Cignetti was able to pull this off will require thousands of words containing rich detail and numerous vantage points, since one person alone can't win a national title. It takes a coalition of the committed to do that.
But for this humble web site devoted to an annual contender which shed its Cinderella slipper decades ago, this is a very abrupt learning experience. IU's title was not won in the traditional manner. This was a brand-new strategy for a quickly evolving and chaotic era. And it worked, quite literally, perfectly.
The Buckeyes got a close look at what winning meaningful games in 2025 looks like, and based on this experience - here are ten strategies we should expect Day's program to prioritize as it works to stop writing sad chapters in a big, privileged book no one wants to read.
Ohio State Buckeyes punter Joe McGuire (42) punts during the second half of the NCAA football game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Oct. 11, 2025. Ohio State won 34-16. © Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
No.1: Win in the Margins
Ohio State wins nearly every one of its games, which makes losing a tiny sample size.
Let's make it even smaller by throwing out Day's losses involving post-Hafley pre-Knowles defenses. What you've got left are games that could have been won had Ohio State been committed to - or even competent - at winning on the margins.
This is such an important aspect for winning a championship that nearly half of this list - and most of this article - will harp on margin elements. Talent has flattened in the NIL era, which makes winning on signing day a relic from the era lorded over by bluebloods.
The Buckeyes almost always take the field with a talent advantage, which Indiana most definitely did not have at Oregon, at Penn State, Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon again or Miami. The Hoosiers were also just a cut below Iowa and Illinois in the stars department.
That’s half of their 16 games with a talent deficit, and yet the Hoosiers ran the table while beating the ungodly shit out of the Illini, Crimson Tide and Ducks. One thing Cig's teams are exceptional at doing is winning the small battles that can be controlled and flip either way, meaning they’re not decided on Signing Day or in the transfer portal.
It’s the efficiency found outside of game pace - well-publicized this season by Ohio State wearing out 2nd gear - or garden variety offensive and defensive stats. The margins can be found in special teams execution, killer penalties, clock management and turning the ball over.
just the razor thin margins of a football game. missed FG and punt block touchdown did it for indiana. what a game pic.twitter.com/nClzLMO3SS
— Tej Seth (@tejfbanalytics) January 20, 2026
Miami missed a field goal and Indiana blocked a punt for a touchdown, two special teams plays which served as the margin of victory for a team whose offensive line was in piping-hot hell for the entire evening. More to come on that shortly.
And the margins were actually a bigger deal than the commentary above that statistical chart makes them out to be. You might remember Miami star freshman Malachi Toney fielding multiple punts inside or on his own 5-yard line, and if you are special teams-obsessed (hello!) you may have shaken your head in bewilderment (hi!) at what appeared to be a lack of discipline.
Except that Toney was doing what he was told. He would be fielding IU's punts no matter where they landed, because Miami's coaches had schemed up something special for the natty. They wanted to beat Indiana on the margins with a signature play that didn't involve Carson Beck.
Panning out and examining all-22 angles, you get a full picture of what Miami was trying to do in its attempt to win on the margins. Unfortunately, Indiana is passionately committed to doing exactly that - because it's necessary to win on big, important stages.
Indiana's punter and overall special teams execution prevented a likely game-changing touchdown for what was a well-schemed trick play the Hurricanes tried more than once to pull off on 4th down. They couldn't even get it out of the holster because IU was so damn good on special teams.
Pay attention to the Miami player sneaking out all by himself to the top of the screen without anyone bothering to track him. Only elite punting and coverage prevented him from flipping the CFP Final in the Hurricanes' favor.
While recording @BearBetsPod today our Miami expert @chrisfallica mentioned he believed the punt Toney fielded near the 5 yard line was a trick play that never materialized. Bear is correct. Look at this thing. Miami would have scored if the punt wasnt so good. pic.twitter.com/N7yup1pcdr
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) January 20, 2026
Conversely, Day’s teams have too often treated the margins with the arrogance of a powerhouse; elective courses they are too talented enough to pour effort or resources into perfecting. This season they dabbled in a little punt return chicanery to keep opponents off-balance while finally ending a 15-year long drought for kickoff return TDs.
It's progress, which is why it's fair to be toxically positive and assume it will continue.
As for penalties, the Buckeyes finished near the top of the country for fewest flags and at the bottom for opponent penalties, along with the rest of the B1G because B1G officials don't call penalties unless they absolutely have to. This matters in the CFP or non-conference games, when non-B1G refs are officiating...however they choose to? Different column.
But it's the criticality of those flags - like wiping out the best punt of the year against Miami by lining up in illegal formation - that has bitten them. This is the offseason to end the madness.
No.2: Survive and Advance in the Trenches
The 2024 Ohio State offensive line activated itself during its CFP run with the adrenaline and urgency of a mother chasing down her toddler running toward an active volcano. That urgency did not return in Indianapolis or in Arlington, which created a rough evening for the Buckeyes, compounded by the next item in this list.
Fernando Mendoza was running for his life from Miami’s front seven on Monday night, which is to say IU’s offensive line got its ass handed to it for the majority of the evening by the best defensive front in the sport. The Hurricanes kept the game close at scrimmage, while the Hoosiers returned the favor when their defense was on the field.
As for the 2025 Buckeyes, the OL did not operate at a championship level, which was only surprising after its performance in Ann Arbor. The lack of playable depth behind the DL starters contributed to noticeable fatigue, especially in Arlington in Game 13.
Attrition from that unit during the most recent portal window suggests those players were either told or decided that they could not play at Ohio State. Their pittance of snaps this season point to the possibility of both scenarios. So, shortening games was a good strategy to contain the risk of sending unplayable guys onto the field.
But coaching up more playable linemen can happily coexist with cruising in 2nd gear. Surely they'll keep unplayable players from major action and signaling to them it's time to move elsewhere, like a stadium that doesn't function as a giant outdoor cathedral.
We'll visit the other side of this in the Elevate Portal Management and Free Agent Evaluations section.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) rushes into the end zone for a touchdown against Miami during the College Football Playoff national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Jan. 19, 2026. © Grace Hollars / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
No.3 Deploy a Dangerous Quarterback
It is a well-traveled discussion at 11W and beyond, but it's close to impossible to win anything with a quarterback who cannot stress a defense with both his arm and his legs.
Julian Sayin finished the season with negative 44 yards on 42 "carries" which is to say he didn't stress defenses at all with his legs. This wasn't much of a factor in the opponents the Buckeyes had pre-defeated with high school recruiting, but it showed up in many flavors against Indiana and Miami.
Sayin lacked the size and lower body strength to finish off a tush push by the IU goal line. Miami jumped Ohio State’s mystifying silent count all night in Arlington, and an RPO is only effective if the R is possible, which - going back to James Skalski's hit on Justin Fields in the 2020 CFP semifinal - has essentially disappeared from the Buckeyes' playbook.
Perhaps Sayin wasn't given the autonomy to release? It's hard to determine in this era.
Will Howard, Ohio State's Mandela Effect mobile quarterback rushed for just 2.2 yards per carry in 2024. His best outings on the ground? Iowa, at Penn State, Tennessee and Notre Dame. The best defenses he faced all season, when stressing those units wasn't optional.
No.4 Deploy a Predictable Kicker
We don't have to talk about this again. There's nothing left to learn here.
Ohio State Legend Jayden Fielding pic.twitter.com/7kpHfqGzFl
— Golden (@goldenknowsball) January 19, 2026
Settling for a kicker who shrinks in every big moment for three seasons is choosing to lose. Allowing a guy who committed three penalties in a single game - on special teams - to keep his position without so much as the threat of a bench will never make sense.
As for these two suggestions, Dangerous Quarterback and Predictable Kicker are not at odds with each other. Indiana had both this season. Anyway, this is what a makeable red zone 4th down looks like when you have serviceable options.
No.5 Follow the Jim Tressel Sacrament for Punting
Ohio State's punting finished the 2025 season ranked 79th in punting average.
The four seasons prior, they came in at 97th, 34th, 16th and 71st. If you're wondering what happened during those two years when the Buckeyes didn't overtly suck at punting, this happened:
Jesse Mirco is in the transfer portal. pic.twitter.com/8ab8FRp51A
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 31, 2023
Day's best punter, Mirco, left after the Cotton Bowl no one wants to remember (no, the other one) for Vanderbilt, which went on to finish 3rd nationally in punting for the 2024 season - that's the same one where the Buckeyes came in at 97th. Mirco was a Ray Guy finalist somewhere other than Columbus.
As for his former unit, it survived dropping 63 spots by becoming a rare two-loss national champion in a season where - everyone, all together now! - they lost games to Michigan and Oregon while getting obliterated on the margins, most notably on special teams - with a dishonorable mention to the untimely OPI call on Jeremiah Smith in Eugene (which was total horseshit, but reduce horseshit calls didn't make this list).
Mirco finished up at Vandy as the SEC punter of the year and was invited to the NFL combine. Since his departure, the Buckeyes have been content to decline the opportunity to use the punter as a weapon. They view punting as a chance to evade a disaster of their own instead of creating a little anxiety for their opponent.
Right now, there's no evidence they'll be deviating from strategy. But they should consider it!
Sep 27, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day speaks with quarterback Julian Sayin (10) during a fourth quarter timeout against the Washington Huskies at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
No.6 Act Like a Wealthy Program and Quit Multitasking
Cig is IU's head coach. Bryant Haines is IU's head coach of the defense. Mike Shanahan is IU's head coach of the offense. Grant Cain is IU's head coach of special teams. Chandler Whitmer handles quarterback play.
This isn't novel, and it's mostly what Ohio State does. Now, anyway. Maybe. But if Day stays in-house once again for his offensive coordinator, he's choosing to multitask while training a senior position that his program is far too strong and equipped to have to tolerate.
Hiring low-experience candidates to learn on-the-job at OSU is clipping coupons in a mansion.
Game management suffered for several seasons in high-stress spots because Day was often performing far too many duties (HC, OC, QBC, lead recruiter at home games) that his employer can afford to hire and compensate full-time employees to do on his behalf. It's Ohio State - win games and beat everybody. Allow other programs to train up your future coordinators.
We'll discuss the latest iteration of multitasking in the Prepare for Uninvited Chaos section coming up, but the fog of war gets thicker when a mere mortal is in charge of too many things at the same time.
No.7 Elevate Portal Management and Free Agent Evaluations
Ohio State had college tape on Parker Lewis, Ja'Had Carter, Vic Cutler, Beau Atkinson, Jackson Courville, Logan George and Ethan Onianwa. Ohio State brought them to Columbus, in some cases for significant money, and missed badly on most of those guys.
In the cases of George and Cutler, just looking at them was enough to know they weren't playable. Lewis and Courville were brought in to compete with Noah Ruggles and Jayden Fielding and, well, what else can be said about that which hasn't already been screamed into outer space. Atkinson played 11 snaps against Grambling State and then got five against Michigan, Indiana and Miami combined. They needed more.
It is a directionally favorable strategy, bringing in what the kids call Uncs to fortify a roster filled with teens. Unc has seen, heard, bled and learned - both of the national championship participants had unc-heavy rosters. The Michigan team that racked up a billion NCAA violations and Show Causes was also full of guys almost old enough to rent cars.
The 2024 Buckeyes were senior-led and mostly home-grown, which makes them unc-adjacent. That year's portal budget was largely allocated to unc retention; known guys who were already program guys. When they venture into the free agency market, they need to do a better job of choosing the right uncs (don't say but Sayin and Downs were portal guys reader, neither of them are uncs).
The years of buildup toward a Jim Tressel-Like Senior Year for fan favorites and perceived busts is part of a bygone era, unfortunately. Caden Curry-types are not going to come along as often. Curtis Grant came to Columbus as a five-star recruit with big expectations that were never met, even being passed up by freshman Raekwon McMillan.
But Grant was invaluable to the 2014 CFP champions. He wasn't a superstar. He was an unc, and that provided significant value to the maturity of what was a largely sophomore-led title team in the pre-portal era. In this era, he probably doesn't stick around. In a promising development to stay current, Ohio State's roster got a lot older since the Cotton Bowl.
They're modernizing their construction; their unc evaluation improvement will be judged in fall.
Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline leaves the field following the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against the Miami Hurricanes on Dec. 31, 2025. Ohio State lost 24-14. © Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
No. 8 Prepare for Uninvited Chaos
This might be upsetting to read, but there are football programs who tamper with players who are not in the transfer portal. Think of this as the subtext to the whispers you might hear of teams working to retain current players. Think of Carnell Tate last season, being tied to Oregon - a program unashamed of its tampering proclivities.
Think of Carnell Tate this season, who just might have had his people telling him that his draft status shouldn't be jeopardized by playing through a lingering injury against mediocre opponents like Purdue, UCLA or Rutgers. Think of any player on the team, grumpy about his utilization, handling, playing time - anything - and how charged humanity can disrupt the best-laid plans.
It's not even reserved for players. Brian Hartline took a job with another program the week of the B1G championship game, which isn't uncommon for the types of overachievers his alma mater aspires to produce. But then Ohio State's offense went into a climate-controlled fast track and deployed a strategy that might have led you to believe they had prepared once again for the ice fields of Ann Arbor.
Winning doesn't cure everything amongst the college students, but it definitely makes the employed adults attractive to other firms. The resilience of 2024 did not carry over into the title defense season. Perhaps more uncs could have smoothed the transition.
Seeing 30 year-old Keenan Bailey on Day's hip in Indianapolis with Hartline less prepared (distracted) by the events of that week surely did not aid in the Buckeyes' gameday operation. The offense stayed in 2nd gear all season, despite promises of it accelerating when necessary.
Unhappy players on a roster is always a non-zero number. Some of them go radioactive, which creates turmoil and tumors - you may be old enough to remember how Duron Carter was dragged down by a small toxic contingent which included Ray Small.
And some coaches have higher aspirations than [current job title] and those desired calls come in during the fog of war. The next iteration of Day's coaching development should include mitigating what can no longer be referred to as unexpected disruptions.
There's no such thing in this meat market. Expect predatory employers to raid your office.
No. 9 Optimize Deployment to Win the Games Not Yet Played
The reigning Heisman winner and CFP championship game MVP - an unc himself, or
tío as it's called in Cuba - just completed a meticulously orchestrated season which included on and off-field management.
Speaking of the Hoosiers, all-B1G tailback Roman Hemby split carries with backup Kaelon Black against Miami. All-B1G wideouts Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt had got fewer targets than Charlie Becker, Riley Nowakowski and Hemby out of the backfield.
The difference between what the Buckeyes did in Indianapolis with all of those tight ends with 13 and 14-personnel packages and IU spreading the wealth is that its best players rarely left the field. The threats posed by Sarratt and Cooper were constant, which created more breathable opportunities for their teammates.
It's not like Cignetti is shy about Indiana's deployment strategy. He's not trying to get home early for supper or burn down the clock to escape a Saturday with minimal wear and tear. He uses every available minute to build a monster for the Saturdays to come.
Indiana HC Curt Cignetti - Standards
— James Light (@JamesALight) January 9, 2026
"From the first play to the last play. Fast, physical, relentless. Smart, disciplined, poised. One play at a time, 6 seconds a play. Every play has a life and history of its own, like it's nothing, nothing. Not affected by success or failure. pic.twitter.com/wyynX9Dzbg
Hindsight lenses are not clairvoyant by any means. It's just that now that the season and portal window have closed, the most foreboding element to the 2025 team was the lack of any emerging X-factor behind what was known heading into the season.
When Rutgers came to town and both of the Buckeyes starting 1st round NFL Draft picks were out nursing injuries, David Adolph led the room in receptions. Most of Hartline's room is turning over next season, as the development that position became notorious for delivering slowed with his ascension to broader responsibilities.
Building depth is next to impossible in this current era of flatter talent across the sport. This isn't an answer as much as it is a question - the Buckeyes need to do something different here. Day is a whiz when his mind is clear. He can solve this puzzle.
It's rare a team this talented doesn't reach a crescendo of any kind when trophy season finally arrives. And that's got to be a consequence of how Ohio State operated during its schedule.
They did not get better as the season wore on. They just got accustomed to playing the same guys, slowly.
Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer (33) sacks Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) forcing a fumble during the second half of the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. Sawyer returned the fumble for a touchdown, and Ohio State won 28-14. © Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
No. 10 Be Ready When Luck Happens
Football isn't science and teens are involved, even if you fill the roster with Uncs. When the ball bounces your way, grab that sweet oblong hog and take it to where it belongs.
