Book Summary: ‘Ohio State 2025 Football Season’ by Kevin Sweeney.

The Ohio State 2025 football season was one for the ages. The Buckeyes won all of their regular-season games, only to lose in the Big Ten Championship and the second round (they had a first-round bye) of the college football playoff. They were thought of as one of the best teams in college football history, but had a shocking end.

The book, “The Ohio State 2025 Football Season,” by Kevin Sweeney, memorializes all these games and uses the season to give an important lesson. The Buckeye football team of 2025 demonstrates the massive changes that are occurring in college football. Do you believe there are massive changes happening in college football?

Ohio State 2025 Football Season Record

The book first summarizes all of the games that happened in the 2025 season for the Buckeyes. These games are arranged in monthly chapters. In chronological order. In August and September Buckeyes played and won four games. Including one huge one against the University of Texas:

Game One: Ohio State University 14 – University Of Texas 7
Game Two: Ohio State University 70 – Grambling State 0
Game Three: Ohio State University 37 – Ohio University 9
Game Four: Ohio State University 24 – Washington University 6

In the early going, the Buckeyes set a precedent of not surrendering more than ten points in a game. Their defense was considered one of the greatest in college football history. They might have four players selected in the first round of the National Football League draft. At any rate, the defensive trend continued in October.

Game Five: Ohio State University 42 – University Of Minnesota 3
Game Six: Ohio State University 34 – Illinois University 16
Game Seven: Ohio State University 34 – University OF Wisconsin – 0

As captured in the book, the University of Illinois scored 16 points against the vaunted Buckeye defense. Actually, the Illini scored late in the fourth quarter against the Buckeye second-team defense. The Buckeyes responded by shutting out the University of Wisconsin. The Buckeyes would have the highlight of their season in November.

GAME EIGHT: Ohio State University 38 – Penn State University 14
GAME NINE: Ohio State University 34 – Purdue University 10
GAME TEN: Ohio State University 48 – UCLA 10
GAME ELEVEN: Ohio State University 42 – Rutgers University 9
GAME TWELVE: Ohio State University 27 – University of Michigan 9

The highlight of the Buckeye season, as it turned out, was the victory over their rival, the University of Michigan. These were five good wins, and the Buckeyes had lost four consecutive games to their rival. By this point, the Buckeyes were ranked first nationally and looked unstoppable.

Game Thirteen: Indiana University 13 – Ohio State University 10
Game Fourteen: University Of Miami 24 – Ohio State University 14

Things unraveled for the Buckeyes in the postseason. They lost the Big Ten Conference Championship Game, and then they lost the first game they played in the college football playoff. One Lesson learned from these games was that older, grown men are more important than 18-year-old kids. So, there are a number of changes occurring in college football, and the Buckeyes are at the forefront of these changes.

Changes in College Football

So, older and more mature players are better. Plus, there is the constraint of name, image, and likeness dollars, which means players are paid, like professionals. The book illustrates three big changes. First, the Buckeyes signed a 28-man high school recruiting class. This was the biggest class ever signed by the Buckeyes. The class is highlighted by Chris Henry Jr., a wide receiver from California. That size class will never again occur in college football. High school recruiting was big business, and you can expect smaller classes in the future, populated by players like Chris Henry Jr.

Second, expect that in the future, teams will have large transfer classes. The transfer portal has become quite popular; at one point the were 4,000 players in the transfer portal. There are 75 new players on the Ohio State roster, a combination of the large recruiting class and the massive transfer portal haul. The Buckeyes got much older; they now have two players who are seventh-year seniors.

Third, in the era of name, image, and likeness money, Ohio State had a freshman running back, Bo Jackson, who had a great season. He threatened to transfer and demanded a raise. He threatened to transfer. He did not. He got his raise. You can expect more of that to happen in the future.

Why You Should Read This Book

Because this book explains the changes that are happening in college football, you should read this book. You do not have to be a fan of the Buckeyes to benefit from this book. Plus, if you are a fan of this football team, this book will be an important part of your library.

Parting Shots

College football is rapidly changing. The changes a succintly summarized in this book. There is also a summarization of the games in the 2025 Buckeye season. There are a couple of other important components to this book. There is a complete listing of the Buckeye roster. There is also a look ahead to the 2026 football season. That is going to be a very difficult season for the Buckeyes.