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Ohio State football named in three of Joel Klatt's ten most impactful games of 2025
If you follow us here at Buckeyes Wire, you know we like to check in with Fox's Joel Klatt from time to time. We value his balanced insight, analytical mind, and sensible takes on college football. He doesn't just throw things out there as a company man for clicks, but rather, tries to be unbiased and insightful in his beliefs. We appreciate that in today's day and age, and we're sure you do too.
Klatt recently named ten games that will shape the college football season, and contests defending College Football Playoff national champion Ohio State will be involved in are well represented. In fact, three of the ten games will have OSU participating, meaning the college football world might have its eyes fixed on the banks of the Olentangy much of the 2025 season.
There are, of course, other games to keep an eye on with some ending up being more impactful than what we see from the Buckeyes, but there's no doubt some of the marquis and most notable tussles between behemoths on the gridiron this season will happen when Ohio State straps it up. There will be some teams and games that ultimately surprise throughout the calendar and end up being a major footnote to the season, but here's the ten most impactful game according to Klatt, with a lot of Scarlet and Gray flair.
Week No. 1 - Texas at Ohio State | Aug. 30
It's a rematch of the classic College Football Semifinal in the Cotton Bowl last season and has two of the favorites to win the College Football Playoff in 2025. Both lost some key talent from last year's game, but the Arch Manning era begins in Austin, and Ohio State might have the best offensive and defensive players in the country with Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs. There's plenty of talent surrounding both for the Buckeyes to get back to the CFP and have a shot at defending their title. A win here would provide a huge early feather in the cap for one of the two teams, and Texas would like nothing more than to start the season with a win on the road in Columbus.
Week No. 1 - LSU at Clemson | Aug. 30
Swinney's Clemson program has been slow to embrace NIL and other progressive changes in the sport, but it looks like he might have a team that has developed into one that can be a College Football Playoff contender again after making it there last season. LSU always has talent, and many think this game will be one where two Heisman contenders square off under center to plant a flag early on in the season when Clemson's Cade Klubnik and LSU's Grant Nussmeir do battle.
Week No. 2 - Michigan at Oklahoma | Sept. 6
We're all still waiting to see what happens with Michigan this year after it finished the season on a high note with wins over Ohio State and Alabama, but either way, the intrigue between two giants of the sport is at least something to get everyone excited about. The winner here still has many things to prove, but it'll be a good step in the right direction for one of the two looking to get back to the Mountain top.
Week No. 3 - Texas A&M at Notre Dame | Sept. 13
Why It Matters
Is there another program in the country that gets less out of its talent than Texas A&M on a year-in, year-out basis? The Aggies will be trying to punch at their weight once again against a program that seems to get its collection of talent to come together more than almost any other. Head coach Marcus Freeman has Notre Dame on the rise, and a win here would set the table and narrative for both teams one way or another.
Week No. 4 - Oregon at Penn State | Sept. 27
Oregon has supplanted itself as a program continually competing for league and College Football Playoff titles, yet it hasn't been able to break through on the biggest stage. Penn State has the history, tradition, and might just have the most experienced talent to finally break through this season. This game will not only shape the Big Ten but also have CFP implications as the chess pieces move about the board fairly early in the season.
Week No. 5 - USC at Illinois | Sept. 27
Lincoln Riley was supposed to do special things in Los Angeles, but it has yet to come to fruition. The Trojans always have plenty of talent to play with, but defense has been a problem. Is this the year everything comes together? Illinois has had a resurgence under head coach Bret Bielema and is flying a bit under the radar coming into 2025. This game could fall flat with both teams not meeting expectations, or it could be one that produces a surprise run to a Big Ten title and beyond.
Week No. 5 - Alabama at Georgia | Sept. 27
There seems to always be a lot on the line when these two play recently, and don't be surprised if that's the case again in a power-packed Week 5. Alabama might not be the Alabama Nick Saban ran out of the tunnel with, but there's still a lot of talent left over, and we all know what kind of skill is on the Georgia sidelines. This one may all come down to quarterback play, with the winner putting itself in a good position in the SEC race. Do well in the SEC, and we all know what that means in the national picture.
Week No. 10 - Penn State at Ohio State | Nov. 1
By this time in the season, we'll know a lot more about the landscape of college football and where both of these annual Big Ten contenders stand. Either way, there's going to be a ton of talent on the field in Columbus. Penn State is getting a lot of notoriety for what it might be this year, but it'll have to go into Columbus and slay the defending national champions to get over the hump. It won't be easy, and by this time of the year, Ohio State might just have its act together on both sides of the ball to stamp itself a national title contender again. If things line up like we think they might, this might end up being the biggest of all regular season games in 2025.
Week No. 11 - LSU at Alabama | Nov. 8
It's really hard to put your faith in LSU based on what we've seen under Brian Kelly, but this might be a chance to get that big-game monkey off his back. If Alabama can right the ship this year and have a typical Alabama season, and if LSU meets expectations to this point, this one could be for the SEC title -- and more. NFL scouts will be drooling over this one, and we all might join them late in the season. At the least, with the 12-team CFP, you have to think there will be something on the line between these two.
Week No. 14 - Ohio State at Michigan | Nov. 29
We never have to build this one up -- definitely not on this site. You know the deal; despite winning the CFP national championship last season, Ohio State still lost to Michigan for a fourth-straight year, and the natives in Columbus won't stand for another one -- defending national champions or not. There's the whole sign-stealing accusations and bad blood surrounding this one, and the Buckeyes would love nothing more than to restore balance in the universe by taking back the Big Ten baton. There's hatred and a crumbling lack of respect between both programs, and there very well might be a spot in Indianapolis and CFP implications on the line.
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