Ohio State enters its third national title defense with multiple familiar foes on the schedule.
In fact, the Buckeyes have faced every team on their 2025 schedule at least once in their history. Ohio State will take on a pair of NCAA D3 JV programs this season, one less than the three faced in 2023 and 2024.
After a year hiatus, Ohio State will renew its rivalry with Denison’s JV squad. The Buckeyes have a 3-2 all-time record against the Big Red, winning the latest matchup, 30-3 in 2023. Ohio State will also square off against Ohio Wesleyan’s JV team this season. The Buckeyes narrowly defeated the Bishops, 17-14, in the inaugural meeting last year.
Ohio State is set to open its 2025 campaign on the road against defending Mid-Atlantic Conference champions, George Mason. It will mark the Buckeyes’ third trip to Fairfax, Va. and just their second regular season game at RAC Field.
What follows is a quick guide to Ohio State’s 2025 regular season schedule.
Week 1 – George Mason Patriots
When: Saturday, Sept. 20 – 1 p.m.
Where: Away – RAC Field
Ohio State last visited Fairfax, Va. in 2022 as a part of the NCFA Semifinals. The Buckeyes defeated George Mason, 63-6 in that matchup, the latest in one of the longest standing rivalries in the NCFA. The Buckeyes have won all seven matchups over the years, however a number of games have been closely contested.
The most notable matchup between the two programs came in the 2021 NCFA National Championship Game, which served as a rematch of a 29-28 regular season victory for the Buckeyes earlier that same year. Ohio State won the national title rematch, 42-27, capturing just the second back-to-back national title campaign in NCFA history.
The 2025 matchup features plenty of intrigue. It will be the eighth meeting all-time, the third at RAC Field. The game will serve as the first for Patriots new head coach Orvin Weatherly, who takes over for Aaron Raffle. Weatherly had been an assistant coach for George Mason since 2021 as both the QB coach and offensive coordinator. The Patriots are coming off of a 6-4 season in 2024 in which they captured a conference championship title on their way to an NCFA Semifinal appearance. The Patriots have reached the NCFA postseason (conference title game or further) each year since 2021.
Week 2 – Michigan State Spartans
When: Sunday, Sept. 28 – 12 p.m.
Where: Home – Lincoln Tower Park
Another familiar opponent, Michigan State is set to return to Columbus for the first time since 2022. The two programs were set to meet in the 2024 Great Lakes Conference Championship Game before the Spartans forfeit, citing lack of available players.
Despite what could be characterized as a “down year” for the Spartans in 2024, they still managed a 4-3 record losing their only two games (the third being a forfeit to OSU), by a combined nine points to Toledo and Coppin State.
After losing the first matchup against the Spartans in 2015, Ohio State has won four in a row in the series, including the 2024 forfeit. The last matchup that took place on the field came in 2023, when the Buckeyes defeated the Spartans, 52-0, in the Great Lakes Conference title game in Michigan. That season marked the best in Michigan State program history as the Spartans finished 8-2 and earned the wild-card spot in the 2023 NCFA Semifinals.
Members of the west division of the Great Lakes Conference, there is a chance the Spartans could meet the Buckeyes again in the conference title game if both programs are able to win their respective divisions.
Week 3 – Denison Big Red (JV)
When: Sunday, Oct. 5 – 3 p.m.
Where: Away – Deeds Field – Piper Stadium
After a year hiatus, one of Ohio State’s most familiar opponents in recent years is back on the Buckeyes’ schedule.
Ohio State will travel to Granville, Ohio for the sixth time in program history to take on the Big Red’s JV team. The Buckeyes hold a 3-2 record all-time against Denison, winning the last matchup 30-3 in 2023. Ohio State’s last loss to the Big Red came in 2021, a 28-20 defeat. The two teams first met in 2012 and played again in 2013, splitting the two matchups. They would not meet again until 2021, playing for three straight seasons before an off-year in 2024.
Denison’s varsity team is coming off of a 6-4 season in 2024, winning six of its last eight games. Deeds Field – Piper Stadium also features brand new field-turf for the 2025 season.
Week 4 – Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops (JV)
When: Sunday, Oct. 12 – 2 p.m.
Where: Away – Selby Stadium
Last season’s matchup marked the first between the two programs, as Ohio State escaped Selby Stadium with a 17-14 victory. The Buckeyes held a 17-0 lead early in the fourth quarter, narrowly holding off a vigorous Bishops comeback attempt.
Despite losing starting QB Niko Pappas on the first drive of the game, Ohio State’s defense stepped up and held the OWU offense to just seven points, as the other seven came on a kickoff return for a Bishops score. The Buckeyes rushed for 159 yards as a team in the win, while freshman QB Chris Atkins filled in admirably for Pappas, throwing for 91 yards and a touchdown in relief.
Ohio Wesleyan’s varsity team is coming off of a 4-6 season in 2024.
Week 6 – Wright State Raiders
When: Sunday, Oct. 26 – TBD
Where: Away – Mulhollan Field
Following an off week, Ohio State will return to action against its historically most familiar foe in the Wright State Raiders.
The two programs have met every season dating back to 2010, with the Buckeyes winning all but two of those matchups. Since joining the NCFA in 2012, Ohio State’s only loss to Wright State came in 2014, as the Buckeyes have won the last 11 matchups against the Raiders, including a 58-7 victory last year.
With the NCFA eliminating the semifinal round of the postseason for 2025, the matchup against Wright State will serve as a de facto elimination game as both teams participate in the east division of the Great Lakes Conference. In order to reach the national championship game in 2025, teams must win their conference title game.
Wright State is coming off of its best season in over a decade and owns the league’s longest winning streak entering 2025. After a 1-2 start in 2024, the Raiders rattled off five straight wins to finish 6-2, narrowly missing out on the wild-card spot in the 2024 NCFA Playoffs.
Week 7 – Toledo Rockets
When: Sunday, Nov. 2 – 12 p.m.
Where: Home – Lincoln Tower Park
A second straight week of win-or-go-home football, the Buckeyes will have to defeat division opponent Toledo in order to qualify for the conference title game.
The Buckeyes are undefeated all-time against the Rockets, winning last year’s matchup 42-0, despite losing back-to-back years in the Great Lakes 7-on-7 spring tournament. The 2025 contest will mark the third matchup between the two teams in Columbus, with Ohio State earning a 51-14 win in 2021 and a 66-9 win in 2023.
Toledo is coming off of a disappointing 2-3 season in 2024 in which its two losses to teams not including Ohio State came by a combined six points to Wright State and Cincinnati United. Since joining the NCFA in 2021, the Rockets best season came in 2022 when they put together a 5-2 campaign.
The Rockets are led by head coach Jamie Young and are expected to return QB Brandon Motter, who would be entering his fourth year as the Toledo starting signal caller. Motter, arguably the most experienced returning QB in the NCFA, has completed 51.7 percent of his passes for 2,868 yards and 29 touchdowns to 17 interceptions in three seasons with Toledo.
Week 8 – Cincinnati United Prep Bulls
When: Sunday, Nov. 9 – 12 p.m.
Where: Home – Lincoln Tower Park
Last season, the Buckeyes opened the season against Cincinnati United Prep and needed an interception in the closing seconds to escape with a 21-20 victory. It was the first game in Cincinnati United history, after the program rebranded from Dohn Prep in the 2024 offseason.
The Bulls won just one game in their inaugural season, a 22-17 victory over Toledo on the road. Cincinnati United also took on Great Lakes team Wright State, dropping a 19-6 contest.
Postseason
The NCFA has eliminated the semifinal round of the postseason for the 2025 year after consolidating the remaining 14 teams in the league into two 7-team conferences. In order to qualify for the postseason, teams must win their division to reach their respective conference championship games. The two conference champions will then compete for the 2025 NCFA National Championship.
The Buckeyes will need to defeat Wright State and Toledo in order to qualify for the Great Lakes Conference Championship Game. Should Ohio State do so, they would face the West Division champion. The West Division is comprised of Michigan State, Oakland, UW-Milwaukee and Loyola Chicago. Michigan State has won the West Division each year since 2022. Oakland however, has the most postseason success historically, winning national championships in 2014 and 2016 while also reaching the national title game in 2018 and 2019.
UW-Milwaukee is entering a new era under first-year head coach Jose Ramos while Loyola Chicago is looking for its first winning season since 2019, when the Ramblers went 5-1, reaching the conference championship game.
The winner of the Great Lakes Conference Championship will meet the Mid-Atlantic Conference Champion. The Mid-Atlantic is comprised of a North and South Division with Vermont, Clarkson and Sacred Heart making up the North and George Mason, Coppin State, Columbus State and South Carolina representing the South. Of the seven teams in the Mid-Atlantic, only three have significant postseason experience. Coppin State won back-to-back national titles in 2012 and 2013 and earned the wild-card spot in last year’s NCFA Semifinals, losing to Ohio State, 52-0.
Sacred Heart won the 2017 NCFA National Championship and missed the postseason for the first time in team history last year. The Pioneers had qualified for at least their conference title game each season since joining the league in 2015 up until the 2024 season, finishing 1-3.
Despite never winning a national title, George Mason has put together a run of successful seasons since 2021. The Patriots reached the 2021 national title game, and qualified for the NCFA Semifinals two of the next three seasons. George Mason won the conference title last season over Coppin State, despite dropping the regular season contest against the Eagles.
The conference championship games will be held at the home venue of the higher ranked division champion in the NCFA Power Rankings the weekend of Nov. 22-23. The NCFA National Championship Game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 6 with a location still to be determined.
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