How Many National Championships Has Ohio State Won?
Ever since their inaugural season in 1890, the Ohio State Buckeyes have established themselves as a powerhouse in college football, dominating the the Big Ten Conference. In the years since the AP Top 25 Poll was established, the Buckeyes currently sit in fifth place for most titles won, with eight National Championships between 1942 and the present day. Let’s now find out how many Championships Ohio State has won in their history!
Ohio State National Championships Before the BCS (1942-1998)
While the AP Top 25 Poll was established in 1936, a Championship Game was not created until the 1998 season. Thus, Ohio State’s first six titles came in the years prior to the BCS (the current CFP National Championship).
The Ohio State Buckeyes won their first championship in 1942, when the AP Poll crowned them champions after a 9-1 season with wins against rival University of Michigan and Illinois. This was followed by five championships in 16 years during the Woody Hayes era, as Ohio State went undefeated in 1954 and 1968 and won the Rose Bowl in 1954, 1957, and 1968.
2002 BCS Championship
After six championships between 1942 and 1970, Ohio State went on a championship drought that was only interrupted in 2002. In 2002, the Buckeyes defeated the Miami Hurricanes in the BCS National Championship Game to claim their seventh college football National Championship.
Although the 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes side did not include any future NFL stars, the team coached by Jim Tressel dominated throughout the whole season, finishing with 14 wins and no losses. Their wins included marquee wins against Penn State, Washington State, and Michigan. Their undefeated record allowed the Buckeyes to play Miami in the BCS National Championship Game (held as the Fiesta Bowl in that year), which they won in overtime thanks to a five-yard touchdown run by freshman star Maurice Clarett.
2014 CFP Championship
As the Jim Tressel era ended in a scandal that led the dominant coach to resign in 2010, Ohio State gave the keys to the football program to two-time FBS champion Urban Meyer. Similarly to Jim Tressel, it only took Urban Meyer less than two seasons to bring a championship back to Columbus.
Urban Meyer’s championship pedigree led Ohio State back to their powerhouse status in recruiting, as they built a team stacked with future NFL talent. The 2013 side included future NFL stars such as Michael Thomas, Ezekiel Elliott, and Joey Bosa. After a 12-1 record, the Buckeyes qualified for the College Football Playoff, where they defeated Alabama in the semifinal and Oregon in the first-ever CFP National Championship game.
FAQ
How many times has Ohio State won the National Championship in college football?
Since the AP Top 25 Poll was established in 1936, the Ohio State Buckeyes have won eight National Championships, two of which occurred during the playoff era. The first came in 1942 under head coach Paul Brown, while legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes brought five more in almost 30 years at the school. The Buckeyes added two more titles in 2002 and 2014 after the National Championship game system was introduced in 1998.
When was Ohio State’s last National Championship in football?
Ohio State’s most recent National Championship occurred in 2014, the first year of the new College Football Playoff format. This was only their second championship since the establishment of the BCS in 1998, with their first occurring in 2002. The Buckeyes’ 2014 title came after two dominant playoff wins, first against Alabama in the semifinal (the Sugar Bowl that year) and then against Oregon in the final.