It has been a disappointing season for Ohio State. The Buckeyes were thumped by arch-rival Michigan in Columbus to end the season, missing the Big Ten championship for the second straight year and finishing the year ranked fourth.
Yet, Ohio State is back in the College Football Playoff for the third time in the Ryan Day era. For most other college football programs, that would be considered a standout season.
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Ohio State has long been a national championship contender, and particularly in recent years, the Buckeyes have become a staple of the playoff. There have been nine playoffs and Ohio State has appeared in five of them, including three of the past four.
To reach a third title game in the CFP era, however, the Buckeyes will have to get past No. 1 Georgia, the undefeated, reigning national champions.
But it has still been a few years since the last time Ohio State hoisted a championship trophy. How many national championships have the Buckeyes won? Here's a look back at their history.
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Ohio State football championship history
How many national championships has Ohio State won in football?
In Ohio State's history, the Buckeyes have claimed eight national championships. Two of them have come via title games and the remaining six came during the AP poll era.
Here's a look at the title-winning seasons by the Buckeyes, according to the NCAA:
| Year | Selecting Organizations | Split? | Bowl Game Win |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | AP | No | |
| 1954 | AP, FWAA, UPI | UCLA | Rose Bowl |
| 1957 | AP, FWAA, UPI | Auburn | Rose Bowl |
| 1961 | AP, FWAA, UPI, NFF | Alabama | |
| 1968 | AP, FWAA, UPI, NFF | No | Rose Bowl |
| 1970 | AP, FWAA, UPI, NFF | Nebraska, Texas | |
| 2002 | BCS | No | Fiesta Bowl |
| 2014 | College Football Playoff | No | CFP national championship |
Before the BCS, there was a number of different selecting organizations for NCAA national championships since there was no title game. Because of that, several teams have often shared the distinction of shared national title winners.
That has been the case for four Ohio State title-winning teams. In 1954, the AP picked Ohio State to be the title winner, while the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and United Press International (UPI) picked UCLA. In 1957, the FWAA and UPI picked the Buckeyes and the AP named Auburn the winner. In 1961, it was Alabama that earned the AP, UPI and National Football Foundation (NFF) selections and Ohio State picking up the FWAA recognition. The only other split title came in 1970, when Ohio State split the NFF honor with Texas, which also had the UPI distinction. Nebraska was the AP and FWAA winner.
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When was Ohio State's last national championship?
In the first year of the College Football Playoff, Ohio State snuck into the CFP after demolishing No. 11 Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big Ten championship, advancing over No. 5 Baylor and No. 6 TCU. The decision was an early controversial selection due to Ohio State's loss to unranked Virginia Tech earlier in the year.
The Buckeyes responded by beating No. 1 Alabama 42-35 and then No. 2 Oregon 42-20 to win the first-ever CFP title.
Ohio State football record in bowl games
Prior to the BCS, there was no designated national championship game. So while Ohio State had six titles before 1998, none of them were won in a head-to-head matchup.
Ohio State won its first national championship game in 2002, when it beat heavily favored No. 1 Miami in a thrilling 31-24 double overtime finish. It was the first time in the brief history of the BCS that the No. 2 team had won the game. Ohio State made two more BCS title game appearances, but lost both, falling in a 41-14 defeat to No. 2 Florida — coached by eventual title-winning Buckeye coach Urban Meyer — in 2006 and then losing the next year to No. 2 LSU 38-24.
The Buckeyes have made two CFP national championships. They won the first edition in 2014 when it beat Oregon. However, after beating Clemson in the CFP semifinal in 2020, Ohio State was drubbed 52-24 by No. 1 Alabama in the title game.
Between the national championship game appearances, Ohio State has a record of 2-3. Across all bowl games in program history, the Buckeyes have an even 27-27 record.
