- Ohio State Football
- History
- National Title Seasons
Five coaches account for Ohio State's nine national titles. Woody Hayes led the Buckeyes to five of those championships.
Below, you will find the complete list and a brief summary of the nine title seasons.
| Season | Record | Coach | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 14–2 | Ryan Day |
Two regular-season losses could not keep a veteran team from making a historic run through the first 12-team College Football Playoff. Wins over No. 7 Tennessee, No. 1 Oregon, No. 3 Texas – including Jack Sawyer's scoop and score – and No. 5 Notre Dame secured the program its latest national championship. |
| 2014 | 14–1 | Urban Meyer | Braxton Miller goes down before the season starts, J.T. Barrett steps up, Kosta Karageorge is remembered, Ezekiel Elliott races 85 yards through the heart of the south and Cardale Jones leads Ohio State to title No. 8. |
| 2002 | 14–0 | Jim Tressel |
In his second season at the helm, Jim Tressel led Ohio State to an upset victory over Miami and the program's first 14-win season. The team had several games that it was on the brink of losing, but always found a way to win. A late touchdown and interception secured an early season win over Cincinnati, the team rallied from a halftime deficit against Wisconsin, the Illini took Ohio State to overtime, The Game wasn't decided until Will Allen's interception against Michigan and it took two overtimes to knock off Miami. |
| 1970 | 9–1 | Woody Hayes |
The Super Sophomores finished their senior season with an undefeated regular season and atoned for the 1969 loss to Michigan. Despite a 27-17 loss to Stanford in the Rose Bowl, the National Football Foundation still awarded Ohio State with the national championship. |
| 1968 | 10–0 | Woody Hayes |
A blowout win over Michigan, an upset victory over top-ranked Purdue and a Rose Bowl beatdown of USC led to an undefeated season and the program's fifth national championship. The Super Sophomores and the 1968 team is one for the ages. |
| 1961 | 8–0–1 | Woody Hayes |
Like 1957, Ohio State started a championship season with an unexpected result against TCU. Following the 7-7 tie, the Buckeyes ran the table including a 50-20 mauling of Michigan. Although the team earned the right to play in the Rose Bowl, Ohio State's Faculty Council voted 28 to 25 against allowing the undefeated Buckeyes to play in the Rose Bowl. Despite Ohio State finishing the season ranked No. 2 in the AP and UPI polls, the Football Writers Association of America awarded the team a national championship. |
| 1957 | 9–1 | Woody Hayes |
The season started with a shocking 18-14 loss to TCU. Hayes rallied the troops and Ohio State won the remaining regular season games by a combined score of 243-67, including a 31-14 thrashing of Michigan. Oregon was a 19-point underdog to No. 1 Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, but the Buckeyes had a hard time shaking the plucky Ducks in the 10-7 victory. |
| 1954 | 10–0 | Woody Hayes |
Hayes' first undefeated season led to his first national championship. A goalline stand and 14 fourth-quarter points propelled Ohio State past Michigan and punched the Buckeyes' ticket to Pasadena. Following the 20-7 victory over USC in the Rose Bowl, Ohio State was crowned national champs for the second time in program history. |
| 1942 | 9–1 | Paul Brown |
Bad drinking water on a train ride to Wisconsin led to the Buckeyes losing to the Badgers. The train ride from hell wasn't enough to derail Ohio State from winning its first national championship. The Buckeyes defeated Iowa-Pre Flight in the last game of the regular season – the last time the program finished the regular season against a team other than Michigan – and took the titles when No. 2 Georgia Tech lost to Georgia and No. 1 Boston College lost to Cornell. |
