College Football Powerhouse Ranked No. 1 Program After 2025 Season

College football analyst Josh Pate recently unveiled his team ranking system, which assesses a football program's health rather than a single season’s roster.

He explained that "the way we define a program around here is a little different than the way we define a team." His model utilizes a "rolling three-year criteria" that aggregates on-field results with talent acquisition metrics and organizational stability.

Pate noted, "I want to know how good your resource pool is. Are you broke? In other words, we don't want—there's no room for 'poories' in the top 10." This formula rewards resilience against coaching turnover and highlights a dominant entity.

Pate officially named the Ohio State Buckeyes as the premier program in the sport following the conclusion of the 2025 season. "I think Ohio State's the top program in the country," Pate said. "Ohio State is 37-6 over the past three years. They've got a national championship mixed in here."

Ohio State's sustained success through player retention, selective transfer additions

Pate identifies the Buckeyes as a "very, very high-value portal program" that prioritizes internal development over impulse buying. "Translation: They don't need to flood themselves with a bunch of transfers because they recruit and develop very well," Pate said. "But when they do need to, they can be very selective and they can be very effective in the transfer portal."

This strategy was evident during the recent offseason, when the staff focused on retaining veteran talent rather than chasing flashy free agents. The return of interior linemen like Austin Siereveld and Carson Hinzman provided the continuity necessary to secure the line of scrimmage against veteran opponents.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day leads his team onto the field prior to the game against the Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Organizational resilience remains a hallmark of the current tenure under Ryan Day. Pate observed that "organizational stability matters a lot" and praised how the program handles turnover.

"They're just excellent at staffing. I don't know that many programs at all are doing it better," he said. "You had two coordinator turnover situations just this past year, it happened... and if anything, they improved defensively, which is just really hard to do. So that is supreme organizational structure there."

This structure allowed Ohio State to keep five-star wideout Chris Henry Jr. locked in despite wide receivers coach Brian Hartline departing for USF.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) has established himself as one of the top players in college football. Last year, he collected 87 receptions for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Pate emphasizes that the program’s floor remains exceptionally high as long as Day controls the sideline. He compared Day favorably to Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. "If we did a head coaching draft and I had first pick, I'd probably go Kirby Smart," Pate admitted. "And if you made me go second and I had to take Ryan Day, I wouldn't be upset with that at all."

The Buckeyes open their 2026 season at home against Ball State on Saturday, Sept. 5.