CFB Most Influential Programs
#2 Ohio State Buckeyes
School: Ohio State Buckeyes
First Game: May 3rd, 1890
Winning Percentage: .734 (1st)
Appearances in AP/Rank: 983 (1st)
Average AP Ranking: 7.9
National Titles: 8
Claim to Fame: As you can see by the stats above, Ohio State is the most consistent high level performing team in the country. If you don’t believe me, you should see how their fans react to a loss nowadays.
Why I have them in my Collection: Like Oklahoma, Ohio State is the standard for sustained excellence. With only a smattering of losing seasons on their resume, the Buckeyes just drone on, consistently ranked, always floating around national title talks, and seemingly able to keep the train on the track no matter who the coach is.
The most successful of these coaches, at least in terms of national titles, was Wayne “Woody” Hayes. Over a span of 28 years, Hayes led the Buckeyes to 4 national titles. He also oversaw 3 Heisman winning seasons, including Archie Griffith winning the trophy back to back in 1974 and 1975.
Ohio State is not a founding member of the Big 10 but it did join in 1912 making it one of the schools with the longest standing conference affiliation in the country. In today's wild world of realignment, I’d say that has to count for something.
I won’t get much into their rivalry with Michigan since I did previously mention it when talking about the Wolverines. But the Buckeyes are currently on the losing side of the overall record, and there’s a losing streak as of late. If you want to know how insane Ohio State fans are, some would legitimately say current coach Ryan Day should be fired if he can’t beat Michigan or win a national title. Would they be happy winning a national title and losing to Michigan? Maybe? But it’s tough to say. I’m not even kidding.
Ohio State’s Marching Band, nicknamed “The Best Damn Band In The Land” (debate amongst yourselves band dorks) is legitimately one of the best in the country. They are also one of only a handful of bands that marches only brass and percussion with no woodwinds. Their drill on the field is also the stuff of legend when it comes to precision so if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend going down a fun YouTube rabbit hole.
Ohio State’s Horseshoe is one of a handful of college venues that gives the feel of one of the old cathedrals of Europe. The outer exterior is timeless, and the inside holds over 100,000 rabid fans. On gameday one of my favorite traditions is to see the football team and band interact. It’s not why I have them so high in my rankings, but a football team that knows and respects the time and dedication of the band program always gets a positive nod in my book.
So, even if you may find their fans to be over the top and ridiculous, they kind of have every right to be. They’re one of the winningest programs in the country. Ohio State has more AP rankings than any other college football program. They have an amazing band, and their stadium is pretty much second to none. All that’s really left for the Buckeyes is when will they win their next national title? As I write this in summer 2024 many say this year is as good as any. We shall see.
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