Where is Ohio State football on Stephen Means’ AP Top 25 ballot after the Big Ten Championship Game?
- Ohio State
- Updated: Dec. 07, 2025, 10:35 a.m.
- Published: Dec. 07, 2025, 7:00 a.m.
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Ohio State vs. Indiana, Big Ten Championship Game, December 6, 2025
INDIANAPOLIS– Indiana proved it was the nation’s best team by knocking off Ohio State to win the Big Ten.
That victory will also afford the Hoosiers the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff and more than likely the Heisman Trophy for its quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
There shouldn’t bet be questions about who should get the other three byes. Georgia and Texas Tech handled their business in conference championship games while the Buckeyes shouldn’t be punished for losing a neutral site game bye three points to the only other undefeated team left.
The questions are about the other remaining spots and whether two Group of Five teams have done enough to earn an invite.
Here’s a look at my ballot after championship weekend:
RankTeamRecordNo. 1Indiana12-0No. 2Ohio State12-1No. 3Texas Tech12-1No. 4Georgia12-1No. 5Oregon11-1No. 6Texas A&M11-1No. 7Ole Miss11-1No. 8Oklahoma10-2No. 9BYU11-2No. 10Alabama10-3No. 11Miami10-2No. 12Notre Dame10-2No. 13Utah10-2No. 14Texas9-3No. 15Tulane11-2No. 16Vanderbilt10-2No. 17USC9-3No. 18James Madison11-1No. 19North Texas10-2No. 20Michigan9-3No. 21Arizona9-3No. 22South Florida9-3No. 23Houston9-3No. 24Georgia Tech9-3No. 25Virginia10-3
Stephen Means covers Ohio State football for Cleveland.com while also serving as the host of the Buckeye Talk podcast. Prior to covering the Buckeyes, he got experience working at the Akron Beacon Journal… more
