Columbus, Ohio, is home to one of the most legendary college football programs of all time, whose success is still going strong after 130 years. The Ohio State Buckeyes play out of Ohio Stadium, which opened in 1922 and currently seats 102,780. They are coached by Ryan Day, who, in his first year leading Ohio State in 2019, oversaw a 13-1 season and a College Football Playoff berth.

History of Ohio State Buckeyes Football

The Ohio State University first fielded a football team in 1890, and the team became a charter member of the Ohio Athletic Conference in 1902 before joining the Big Ten in 1912. The Buckeyes won their first national championship in 1942 under coach Paul Brown, and they've won seven more, most recently in 2014 under Urban Meyer. Six players have won seven Heisman Trophies for the Buckeyes, including Les Horvath in 1944, Vic Janowicz in 1950, Howard "Hopalong" Cassady in 1955, Eddie George in 1995, Troy Smith in 2006, and the only two-time recipient, Archie Griffin, in 1974 and 1975. Ohio State has won 40 conference titles, including three while with the OAC, as well as eight divisional titles. The Buckeyes have also won eight Rose Bowl games, most recently after the 2018 season against Washington.

While Ohio State has long-running rivalries against Illinois and Penn State, their rivalry against Michigan is one of the most heated feuds in all of sports, dating back to 1897. The Ohio/Michigan rivalry has always been intense, but it rose to another level between 1969 and 1978, as Michigan coach Bo Schembechler and Ohio State coach Woody Hayes engaged in "The Ten Year War" as both teams competed for Big Ten and national championships. In 2019, the Buckeyes went 12-0 behind the play of defensive end Chase Young, cornerback Jeff Okudah, and quarterback Justin Fields, before defeating Wisconsin 34-21 in the Big Ten Championship Game, and losing 29-23 to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl as part of the College Football Playoff semifinals.