Will Howard capped a rollercoaster collegiate career on the highest of highs after helping lead Ohio State to the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship with Monday night’s 34-23 win over Notre Dame inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Ohio State is No. 1 in the final AP Top 25 college football poll of the 2024 season, the sixth time its has finished atop the AP poll.

A Buckeyes program that won the national championship by spending lavishly and used the transfer portal judiciously joins everyone else in not knowing exactly what the rules will be in this

Ohio State comes in ahead of the best the SEC has to offer and Big Ten rival Penn State to lead the way in the USA TODAY Sports way-too-early Top 25 for the 2025 season. The No. 1 Buckeyes have to replace quarterback Will Howard but will be able to surround the new starter with an elite collection of skill talent headlined by star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith broke several school records this season, and he's only 19 years old. He set the mark for most receiving yards (1,315) and receptions (76) in a season by a freshman as well as the most receiving touchdowns in a year (15) both by a Buckeye player and in Big Ten history.

A day after the title game, new odds were released, and more way-too-early top 25 polls were dropped. One of them was from Bill Bender of Sporting News, and he had Texas at No. 1 with Ohio State at No. 2. The rest of the top 10 were Georgia, Penn State, Oregon, Notre Dame, Clemson, Alabama, LSU and Miami (FL).

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard is trying to lead his team to a national title, and he could also achieve some massive individual history in the pro

By beating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34-23 on a frigid Atlanta night, Ohio State has the right to tell everyone in the country they have the best football team. This was a team that needed a swift kick in the rear end by arch rival Michigan to light the fire inside them we all knew was there all along.

Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) celebrates after winning against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

One of the best seasons in the history of college football — name one that was better — just ended. So, naturally, I’m going to look ahead to the next.Specifically,

Find out below my very early projection from Notre Dame’s offensive starters when the return to the field to travel to face the Miami Hurricanes on Aug. 30, 2025. See the full 2025 schedule here. (Note: This is prior to any players making transfer or NFL declarations.)