Latest CFP ranking increases Ohio State's national championship chances historically

The Ohio State Buckeyes are aiming to repeat as national champions, and they received some promising news on Tuesday night regarding their potential repeat.

To begin with, the Buckeyes have secured the No. 1 ranking in the College Football Playoff poll for the second week in a row, and this top spot carries even greater significance.

According to ESPN Insights, each year following the inaugural College Football Playoff in 2014, the eventual national championship was ranked in the top three in the second College Football Playoff rankings.

In each year following the inaugural College Football Playoff in 2014, the eventual national champion was ranked in the top 3 in the 2nd CFP Rankings.

Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M are currently ranked in the top 3. pic.twitter.com/JfdIeATPJN
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) November 12, 2025

Ohio State, along with Indiana, currently holding the No. 2 spot, and Texas A&M at No. 3, are in an excellent position right now.

The Buckeyes currently hold a 9-0 record with three regular season games remaining against UCLA, Rutgers and Michigan. UCLA and Rutgers should be easy wins since they don't have close to the talent of Ohio State, and both games are at home for the Buckeyes.

The Michigan game is definitely one to keep an eye on. Currently ranked No. 18 in the playoff poll, the Wolverines have a solid shot at making the playoffs if they can win out, which includes defeating the Buckeyes.

Michigan has knocked off Ohio State the last four years, and it could do it again in the next few weeks.

The Buckeyes can't look past any of these next three opponents, or they risk falling, which could put them at risk of missing out on an opportunity to play in the Big Ten title game.

Winning back-to-back championships is never easy, and even though Ohio State is making things look simple in its first nine games, the next two to three months of the season are going to be a gauntlet.

If the Buckeyes reach the title game, they could end up playing five consecutive matchups against top 15 teams: first against Michigan, then Indiana in the Big Ten title game, followed by two top 12 teams in the quarterfinals and semifinals, and finally, the top team in the national championship.

If any team can claim that goal, it would be the Buckeyes, who did it during the playoffs last season, beating Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame.

Although the Buckeyes are already nine games into the season, it still feels like the season hasn’t truly begun. However, things will start to heat up in the next couple of weeks, starting at Michigan two days after Thanksgiving.