Former UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel names the best team in college football right now

Rick Neuheisel crowns the Ohio State Buckeyes as college football’s No. 1 after a dominant 34-0 win over Wisconsin.

Former UCLA Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel names the Ohio State Buckeyes as college football's No. 1 team after a shutout 34-0 win over Wisconsin in Week 8. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

After Week 8, former UCLA coach and CBS Sports analyst Rick Neuheisel offered a blunt verdict on the national picture. He watched the Ohio State Buckeyes dominate the Wisconsin Badgers 34-0 and said what the scoreboard and tape supported. “Ohio State is the best team in the land.” The statement from Neuheisel posted on X fits a profile built on efficient offense, a stingy defense, and margins that have stacked for two seasons.

Quarterback Julian Sayin delivered a clean, decisive performance in Madison. He went 36 of 42 for a career-high 393 yards and four touchdowns. Carnell Tate caught six passes for 111 yards and scored twice in the first quarter, while Brandon Inniss added a fourth-quarter touchdown. Tight end Will Kacmarek chipped in a 2-yard score, and Max Klare moved the chains underneath.

The Buckeyes controlled the field from the opening series. Sayin hit Tate for a third-and-11, 33-yard touchdown on the first drive, then found him again from 10 yards with four seconds left in the first quarter. Ohio State outgained Wisconsin 491-144, and Wisconsin crossed midfield just once before its final possession. Safety Sonny Styles turned a drop into an interception on the Badgers’ opening drive, and the defense kept the shutout intact the rest of the way.

Rick Neuheisel Names Ohio State The Best Team After Week 8

Season-long numbers match Neuheisel’s call. Ohio State is 7-0, 4-0 in the Big Ten, and has won 11 straight with an average margin of 25.8 points dating to last year’s College Football Playoff run. This season’s seven wins have come by an average of 30.6 points. Sayin has completed 80 percent of his passes with 19 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Wideouts Jeremiah Smith and Tate give Ohio State two one-on-one winners on the perimeter, and the tight ends provide steady options in the middle of the field. Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell called Ohio State “collectively as good a team” he has prepared for in all phases.

"Ohio State is the best team in the land."

-- @CoachNeuheisel on his takeaway from Week 8 in college football pic.twitter.com/ZVJlM8BsSt

— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) October 18, 2025

The Buckeyes' formula is clear and repeatable. Accurate quarterback play, perimeter mismatches with Smith and Tate, reliable tight ends, and a defense allowing 5.9 points per game to date. Add situational conversions and a plus turnover profile, and it becomes a weekly math problem opponents cannot solve. That is the case Neuheisel summarized in one sentence.

Ohio State is on a bye this week and will host Penn State on Nov. 1.