# 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The **2024 Ohio State Buckeyes football team** represented [Ohio State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/ohio-state-university) in the 2024 [NCAA Division I](https://www.edgepedia.org/ncaa-division-i) football season, finishing 14-2 overall and 7-2 in [Big Ten Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-ten-conference) play under head coach Ryan Day and winning the national championship in the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff.[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/schedule/text/2024) • [2](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/news/2025/1/20/football-post-game-story-national-championship) The Buckeyes defeated Notre Dame 34-23 on January 20, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, earning the program's ninth national championship and its first since 2014.[2](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/news/2025/1/20/football-post-game-story-national-championship) • [3](https://apnews.com/article/20ea701738b3a659cdbab54ad9f0f26e)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Record | 14-2 overall, 7-2 Big Ten; 8-1 home, 3-1 away, 3-0 neutral[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/schedule/text/2024) |
| Head coach | Ryan Day, in his sixth season; offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles[4](https://www.axios.com/local/indianapolis/2024/07/26/indiana-iu-purdue-big-ten-conference-2024-football-season) • [5](https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2024/02/145568/ryan-day-excited-to-have-chip-kelly-james-laurinaitis-on-ohio-state-s-coaching-staff-i-love-having-chip-on-my-side) |
| Regular-season losses | 31-32 at Oregon (Oct. 12) and 10-13 to Michigan (Nov. 30)[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/schedule/text/2024) |
| Playoff results | W 42-17 vs. Tennessee (first round), W 41-21 vs. Oregon (Rose Bowl), W 28-14 vs. Texas (Cotton Bowl), W 34-23 vs. Notre Dame (national championship)[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/schedule/text/2024) |
| Scoring | 509 points scored (36.4 per game), 169 allowed (12.1 per game)[6](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/documents/download/2024/12/22/2024_Football_Season_Stats.pdf) |
| Total offense | 6,055 yards, 432.5 per game, 7.0 yards per play[6](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/documents/download/2024/12/22/2024_Football_Season_Stats.pdf) |
| Season length | 16 games, the first 16-game season at the major college level since Yale in 1894, Penn in 1892, and Yale in 1889[7](https://apnews.com/article/d9d92d4e7ec72a1f4259ab1fee931a9d) |
## Schedule and regular season
The season opened with eight home games at [Ohio Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/ohio-stadium), including the 120th all-time matchup against Michigan, in the first year of the expanded 18-team Big Ten that added Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington as full-time members.[8](https://news.osu.edu/2024-ohio-state-football-dates-announced/) Ohio State opened with home wins over Akron (52-6), Western Michigan (56-0), and Marshall (49-14), then won 38-7 at Michigan State and 35-7 at home against Iowa.[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/schedule/text/2024)
**Two losses shaped the season.** On October 12, Oregon beat Ohio State 32-31 in Eugene, a one-point result that proved the closest any team came to beating the Ducks that year.[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/schedule/text/2024) • [9](https://apnews.com/article/19ca5f1d2de4d1fb6b724880a2b4331e) The Buckeyes then won six straight, including 20-13 at Penn State and 38-15 against Indiana, before losing the regular-season finale 13-10 to Michigan at Ohio Stadium on November 30.[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/schedule/text/2024) The Michigan loss, a fourth consecutive defeat in the rivalry, generated public calls for Day's removal.[10](https://apnews.com/article/30e2150661c0811c63d9cce503cd45ac) Because Ohio State did not qualify for the Big Ten Championship Game, its playoff fate rested with the selection committee.[11](https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2024/12/151423/comparing-ohio-state-s-resume-to-other-contenders-for-a-first-round-college-football-playoff-home-game)
The team's stated theme for the season, announced by Day in July 2024, was "Leave No Doubt."[12](https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2024/08/30/ohio-state-big-ten-expansion) On August 26, an FBS-leading four Buckeyes, Denzel Burke, Caleb Downs, Emeka Egbuka, and Jackson, were named to the AP preseason [All-America](https://www.edgepedia.org/all-america) first team.[13](https://www.buckeyesports.com/wp-content/uploads/formidable/2/2024-09-07_BSBOnline.pdf)
## Coaching staff
Ryan Day was in his sixth season as head coach, entering the year with a 56-8 career record.[4](https://www.axios.com/local/indianapolis/2024/07/26/indiana-iu-purdue-big-ten-conference-2024-football-season) Day's program biography credits the full-season offense, run under Kelly, as ranking among the nation's best.[14](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/ryan-day/1498)
## College Football Playoff run
Ohio State was seeded into the first 12-team playoff bracket, which placed undefeated Oregon first and gave Ohio State a first-round home game against Tennessee.[9](https://apnews.com/article/19ca5f1d2de4d1fb6b724880a2b4331e) The Buckeyes won four consecutive games:
1. **First round, Dec. 21:** Tennessee, 42-17, at Ohio Stadium.[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/schedule/text/2024)
2. **Rose Bowl, Jan. 1:** Oregon, 41-21, avenging the regular-season loss.[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/schedule/text/2024)
3. **Cotton Bowl, Jan. 10:** Texas, 28-14, in [Arlington, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/arlington-texas).[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/schedule/text/2024)
4. **National championship, Jan. 20:** Notre Dame, 34-23, in Atlanta.[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/schedule/text/2024)
Ohio State was the first team to win a national title by playing four playoff games under the expanded format, and it did so in dominant fashion: the Buckeyes trailed for just 6 minutes, 5 seconds across 240 minutes of playoff playing time and beat every opponent by double figures, finishing with wins over five top-10 rivals.[10](https://apnews.com/article/30e2150661c0811c63d9cce503cd45ac) Day's program biography describes the run as one of the greatest postseasons in college football history, with the team averaging 36.3 points per game across the four CFP wins.[14](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/ryan-day/1498) The championship game drew 22.1 million viewers, and the Cotton Bowl averaged 20.6 million, the most-watched Friday telecast across all networks in four years.[15](https://apnews.com/article/2372aa4cd73c21e8614bc6523eaee61b)
The 16-game season was a product of the expanded format: with a 12-game regular season and four playoff games, Ohio State and Notre Dame each played their 16th game in the championship, a length unmatched at the major college level since Yale in 1894, Penn in 1892, and Yale in 1889.[7](https://apnews.com/article/d9d92d4e7ec72a1f4259ab1fee931a9d)
## Team statistics and key players
The official season statistics, through the Tennessee first-round game as compiled on January 2, 2025, show an offense that outgained opponents 6,055 to 3,425 yards and a defense that held teams to 4.0 yards per play.[6](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/documents/download/2024/12/22/2024_Football_Season_Stats.pdf)
- **Quarterback Will Howard** started all 14 games, completing 268 of 369 passes (72.6 percent) for 3,490 yards and 32 touchdowns against 9 interceptions, with a passing efficiency of 175.8.[6](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/documents/download/2024/12/22/2024_Football_Season_Stats.pdf)
- **Running backs** TreVeyon Henderson (925 yards, 7.3 per carry, 10 touchdowns) and Quinshon Judkins (924 yards, 5.3 per carry, 10 touchdowns) split the carries nearly evenly, 126 attempts to 174.[6](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/documents/download/2024/12/22/2024_Football_Season_Stats.pdf)
- **Receivers** Jeremiah Smith (70 catches, 1,224 yards, 14 touchdowns) and Emeka Egbuka (70 catches, 896 yards, 10 touchdowns) led the passing game; Smith led all players with 1,276 all-purpose yards.[6](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/documents/download/2024/12/22/2024_Football_Season_Stats.pdf)
- **Defense** recorded 47 sacks for 322 yards, forced 9 interceptions, and allowed only 19 touchdowns and 6 passing touchdowns all season.[6](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/documents/download/2024/12/22/2024_Football_Season_Stats.pdf)
- **Kicker Jayden Fielding** made 11 of 15 field goals and all 68 extra-point attempts.[6](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/documents/download/2024/12/22/2024_Football_Season_Stats.pdf)
## Significance
The title was Ohio State's ninth national championship and its second [College Football Playoff](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-football-playoff) crown, following the 2014 title won in the inaugural four-team playoff; Ohio State became the first program to win both the four-team and 12-team versions.[2](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/news/2025/1/20/football-post-game-story-national-championship) • [10](https://apnews.com/article/30e2150661c0811c63d9cce503cd45ac) The championship followed a regular-season loss to Michigan that had produced calls for Day's dismissal, and the playoff run is described in coverage of the title as vindication for the head coach.[3](https://apnews.com/article/20ea701738b3a659cdbab54ad9f0f26e) Roughly 30,000 fans welcomed the team back to Ohio Stadium for a celebration on January 26, 2025.[10](https://apnews.com/article/30e2150661c0811c63d9cce503cd45ac)
## References
1. [2024-25 Football Schedule, Ohio State Buckeyes](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/schedule/text/2024)
2. [Ohio State Wins 9th National Title, Defeats Notre Dame 34-23, Ohio State Buckeyes](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/news/2025/1/20/football-post-game-story-national-championship)
3. [Ohio State's Ryan Day earns vindication along with Buckeyes' first national championship since 2014, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/20ea701738b3a659cdbab54ad9f0f26e)
4. [IU, Purdue and the new Big Ten Conference, Axios Indianapolis](https://www.axios.com/local/indianapolis/2024/07/26/indiana-iu-purdue-big-ten-conference-2024-football-season)
5. [Ryan Day Excited to Have Chip Kelly, James Laurinaitis on Ohio State's Coaching Staff, Eleven Warriors](https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2024/02/145568/ryan-day-excited-to-have-chip-kelly-james-laurinaitis-on-ohio-state-s-coaching-staff-i-love-having-chip-on-my-side)
6. [2024-25 Ohio St. Football Season Stats (PDF), Ohio State Buckeyes](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/documents/download/2024/12/22/2024_Football_Season_Stats.pdf)
7. [Notre Dame, Ohio State in uncharted territory: They're playing 16-game seasons for the 1st time, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/d9d92d4e7ec72a1f4259ab1fee931a9d)
8. [2024 Ohio State football dates announced, Ohio State News](https://news.osu.edu/2024-ohio-state-football-dates-announced/)
9. [College Football Playoff's first 12-team bracket is set with Oregon No. 1 and SMU in, Alabama out, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/19ca5f1d2de4d1fb6b724880a2b4331e)
10. [Ohio State celebrates national championship run amid change and farewells, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/30e2150661c0811c63d9cce503cd45ac)
11. [Comparing Ohio State's Résumé to Other Contenders For A First-Round College Football Playoff Home Game, Eleven Warriors](https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2024/12/151423/comparing-ohio-state-s-resume-to-other-contenders-for-a-first-round-college-football-playoff-home-game)
12. [Ohio State faces make-or-break season in expanded Big Ten, Axios Cleveland](https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2024/08/30/ohio-state-big-ten-expansion)
13. [2024 Ohio State Football Schedule, Buckeye Sports Bulletin](https://www.buckeyesports.com/wp-content/uploads/formidable/2/2024-09-07_BSBOnline.pdf)
14. [Ryan Day, Head Coach, Ohio State Football](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/ryan-day/1498)
15. [ESPN pleased with 1st season of expanded College Football Playoff, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/2372aa4cd73c21e8614bc6523eaee61b)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › College, minor, and international American football › College football seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license