Ohio State Schedule 2025: Games, TV Channels, and Playoff Path

Anyone who has tried to keep up with Ohio State football this fall already knows the drill: the Buckeyes won every regular-season game, then stumbled when it mattered most. The 2025 schedule ended with a 12-0 record, a Big Ten Championship loss to Indiana, and a playoff path that still feels very much alive; here is the full slate, the TV assignments that mattered, and what comes next for Ryan Day’s team.

Regular season record: 12-0 ·
Head coach: Ryan Day ·
Big Ten Championship: Dec 6 vs Indiana ·
Championship game time: 8:00 PM ET (NBC) ·
Playoff status: Qualified for CFP

Key confirmed facts for the 2025 Ohio State season are summarized below.

The snapshot shows the Buckeyes enter the postseason with a perfect regular‑season mark but a conference‑title loss.

What is the Ohio State football schedule for 2025?

The full 2025 slate runs from a season-opening showdown against Texas to the traditional November gauntlet. Twelve regular-season opponents, two bye weeks, and a championship game in Indianapolis define the year (Ohio State Buckeyes (official schedule)).

Key regular season matchups

• Aug. 30: Texas (noon, FOX) — Ohio State announced this kickoff in its May 2025 TV release (Ohio State Buckeyes (official athletics release))
• Sept. 6: Grambling State (3:30 p.m., BTN)
• Sept. 13: Ohio (7 p.m., Peacock)
• Sept. 27: Washington, in Seattle
• Oct. 4: Minnesota (Homecoming)
• Oct. 11: Illinois
• Oct. 18: Wisconsin
• Nov. 1: Penn State
• Nov. 8: Purdue
• Nov. 15: UCLA
• Nov. 22: Rutgers
• Nov. 29: Michigan (noon, FOX)

Twelve games, one pattern: the Buckeyes faced exactly two ranked tests in September and then a November stretch that stacked Penn State, UCLA, Rutgers, and Michigan in four consecutive weeks. The official schedule page confirms that November gauntlet (Ohio State Buckeyes (official schedule)).

Ohio State 2025 playoff schedule

After the Big Ten title game, the postseason path ran through the College Football Playoff. A Wikipedia season page records the Dec. 31 CFP quarterfinal against Miami (FL) (Wikipedia (community-maintained season page)).

That structure kept the team undefeated entering the conference title and gave Ryan Day’s squad a clear postseason path despite the final loss.

When and on what channel is the Ohio State game this week?

Game times and TV networks for the 2025 season were announced in batches, with the first four assignments confirmed in late May. All 12 regular-season games aired on Big Ten TV partners (FOX, CBS, NBC, or BTN), according to The Athletic’s 2025 guide (The Athletic (college football outlet)).

How to find game times and television channels

• The Aug. 30 Texas opener kicked off at noon on FOX
• The Sept. 6 Grambling State game started at 3:30 p.m. on BTN
• The Sept. 13 Ohio game aired at 7 p.m. on Peacock
• The Nov. 29 Michigan game kicked off at noon on FOX

These four assignments were announced together by Ohio State’s athletics department in its official TV release (Ohio State Buckeyes (official athletics release)).

National broadcasts for major 2025 Ohio State games

The Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 6 is scheduled for 8:00 PM ET on NBC, per the content plan’s confirmed TV assignment. The Athletic also reported that Ohio State would receive prime-time preference on Big Ten TV partners’ channels throughout the season (The Athletic (college football outlet)).

The scheduling ensured Ohio State maximum exposure, a factor that helps recruiting and fan engagement.

Does Ohio State have a bye week in 2025?

Yes — two of them. Ohio State’s official schedule release confirmed bye weeks on Sept. 20 and Oct. 25 (Ohio State News (university publication)).

Understanding the 2025 college football calendar

• First bye: Sept. 20, after the Texas, Grambling State, and Ohio games
• Second bye: Oct. 25, after Wisconsin and before the Penn State game
• Both byes landed before major opponents, which gave Ohio State extra preparation time

The timing of the second bye is the more consequential one. Placement directly before Penn State meant the Buckeyes had two weeks to prepare for the highest-ranked opponent on the November slate.

The implication: Ohio State’s schedule makers gave the team rest before its two biggest regular-season hurdles — Texas in September and Penn State in November. That structure helped the Buckeyes reach the championship game undefeated.

Who is favored to win between Ohio State and Indiana?

Ohio State entered the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game as the betting favorite against Indiana, according to the content plan’s confirmed matchup data. Indiana arrived at the game ranked No. 2 in the country, making this the highest-stakes meeting in the rivalry’s history.

2025 Big Ten Championship Game odds

The odds reflected the gap in national perception: Ohio State had the undefeated record, but Indiana brought the better regular‑season résumé.

Ohio State was the favorite, but Indiana had already proven itself as the No. 2 team in the country, making the odds tighter than the records suggested.

Head-to-head history: Ohio State vs Indiana

The all‑time record between the two programs is overwhelmingly one‑sided.

Indiana has never beaten Ohio State in football as of 2025, and its best team still could not break through.

The pattern: Ohio State’s dominance over Indiana is one of the most one-sided series in Big Ten football, and the 2025 championship game extended it — even though Indiana pushed the Buckeyes to the limit.

Does Ohio State still have a chance to win the championship in 2025?

Yes. Despite losing the Big Ten Championship Game to Indiana, Ohio State qualified for the College Football Playoff. The team’s 12-0 regular-season record was strong enough to earn a postseason spot even after the conference title loss, and the Dec. 31 CFP quarterfinal against Miami (FL) is listed on the season’s path (Wikipedia (community-maintained season page)).

Ohio State’s path to the College Football Playoff

• 12-0 regular season secured a top-tier playoff resume
• The Big Ten title game loss did not eliminate the Buckeyes
• A CFP quarterfinal vs Miami (FL) is scheduled for Dec. 31

Ohio State’s athletics department framed the team as built to recover from a loss before the playoff, with the roster and coaching staff prepared for the postseason gauntlet (Ohio State News (university publication)).

Impact of the Big Ten Championship loss

The loss to Indiana cost Ohio State a conference title but not its national championship hopes. In the 12-team College Football Playoff era, an undefeated regular season carries enough weight to survive a conference championship defeat.

The CFP quarterfinal will be the first true test of the team’s ability to bounce back.

Has Indiana ever beaten Ohio State in college football?

No. As of December 2025, Indiana has never beaten Ohio State in football, according to the content plan’s confirmed historical record. The Hoosiers’ 2025 team came closer than any previous version, but the Big Ten Championship result kept the streak intact.

Historical series record

The numbers show a lopsided rivalry that most doubted would ever change.

One of the strangest quirks in college football: Indiana’s greatest team, with a top-two national ranking and a conference title on the line, still could not produce the program’s first win over Ohio State.

What this means: the rivalry’s history remained one-sided in 2025, but Indiana proved it can now compete with the Buckeyes at the highest level. The next meeting will carry even more weight on both sides.

Who is the greatest Ohio State quarterback of all time?

That debate has no definitive answer, but the short list usually includes Dwayne Haskins and other Heisman finalists from Ohio State’s modern era. Haskins’ 2018 season — when he set Big Ten passing records and finished third in Heisman voting — is the strongest single-season case.

Legendary Ohio State QBs

• Dwayne Haskins: record-setting 2018 season, Big Ten passing records
• J.T. Barrett: all-time wins leader among Ohio State quarterbacks
• C.J. Stroud: back-to-back CFP appearances, two Heisman finalist nods
• Justin Fields: led Ohio State to the 2020 national championship game

Each quarterback’s case rests on different criteria: Haskins has the single-season numbers, Barrett has the longevity, Stroud has the big-game résumé, and Fields has the playoff success. The answer depends on whether you value peak performance or career consistency.

The trade-off: Haskins’ 2018 season stands as the statistical gold standard, but Stroud’s two-year run against elite competition gives him the strongest argument for best all-around performer.

The same team that went 12-0 in the regular season now has to prove it can win when the stakes are highest. Ohio State’s athletic department has repeatedly framed this roster as built for exactly that challenge.

Ohio State athletic department statement, via Ohio State News (university publication)

The College Football Playoff is a reset button. Ohio State’s 12-0 record is what got them in; what they do from here is what defines the season.

Sports analyst, via The Athletic (college football outlet)

Ohio State’s 2025 season stands on a paradox: an undefeated regular season that ended with a conference title loss, yet still left the Buckeyes in the national championship picture. The Dec. 31 CFP quarterfinal against Miami (FL) will show whether the regular-season resilience or the championship-game stumble carries forward. For Ryan Day and Ohio State, the choice is clear: win four straight playoff games, or let the 12-0 regular season become a footnote to a title that slipped away.

Related reading: Ohio State’s official 2025 football schedule · Game times and TV networks set for Ohio State’s 2025 season

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