In its Big Ten football preview, ESPN mentioned three Ohio State games as ten of the best in the conference for 2025. Which contests made the cut?
Big Ten football has come a long way in the last five years. The perception was that it was the SEC and everyone else, but that's faded with two Big Ten teams winning the College Football Playoff national championship the last two years. First Michigan, then Ohio State, after the Buckeyes have had so many close calls over the last decade.
I say that to lean into the fact that there are going to be some pretty tantalizing games in the Big Ten this year, some of the best college football games of the season, and Ohio State will be a part of some of those. But first things first, to determine a Big Ten championship and potentially teams that might make the College Football Playoff, you have to play the games first, and the Big Ten has a slate of mouthwatering games, all the way from Week 1 through to the end of the regular season.
In ESPN's Big Ten football preview, the 'worldwide leader" set out to name the top ten games of the Big Ten football season, and the Buckeyes are involved in almost 1/3 of those games, three out of the ten labeled. Here are the three games that ESPN believes are ten of the best in the conference that Ohio State is involved in.
Ohio State vs. Texas (Aug. 30)
What ESPN says: "The biggest games of Weeks 1 and 2 are Big Ten vs. SEC affairs, though they take on different flavors. Texas-Ohio State is a rematch of last year's delightful CFP semifinal, in which Jack Sawyer's late scoop-and-score ended a Longhorns comeback attempt. Both the Longhorns and Buckeyes will almost certainly start out in the AP top 5."
What We Say: Texas traveling to the 'Shoe to take on Ohio State in Week 1 is the game we've all been waiting for to kick off the college football season. Both teams can still recover from a loss, but the outcome will set a narrative and put a big feather in the cap of the winner for when it comes time to impress the College Football Playoff committee. Both teams have a lot of talent, but both are replacing some key personnel. It'll be a hoot.
Ohio State vs. Penn State (Oct. 1)
What ESPN says: "In terms of combined SP+ ratings, this is the single biggest game of the 2025 regular season."
What We Say: The biggest storyline here is whether or not James Franklin can make good on all of that preseason buzz and actually get over the hump with Penn State. And while the Nittany Lions will have a chance to show something at home against Oregon a few weeks earlier, this feels like the one that could stand between a Big Ten title, the narrative of him not being able to win the big game, and perhaps more.
Ohio State at Michigan (Nov. 29)
What ESPN says: "Proof that even in a 12-team CFP era, a rivalry loss can send you into a spectacular, existential tailspin. (And proof that you might be able to steer out of it a little better now.)"
What We Say: There's no doubt the vitriol is at a point it has not been in a long, long time after what we all saw at the end of the game last year. Michigan will be better than last season, and Ohio State will look to end a four-game losing streak to the Wolverines. There could be some pretty substantial things at stake as they normally are in this one, and the whole college football world will be watching.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: ESPN ranks three Ohio State games as Big Ten football's ten best
Category: General Sports
