The Big Lead

Which 2025 College Football Playoff fan bases would a national title be most meaningful for?

By Sam Westmoreland

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with players at the end of the game against the Southern California Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with players at the end of the game against the Southern California Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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10. OHIO STATE

Ryan Day and the Buckeyes need a national title, but does that make it meaningful?
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day waits to take the field before the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. / Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

So, this one is probably going to be the one that annoys their fans the most (which is fine), but hear me out: there's a difference between need, expectation, and meaning.

Buckeyes fans expect a national title. Not because it's meaningful, but because they see themselves as the pinnacle of college football. For them, it's another brick in the tower, another link in the chain of greatness.

Ryan Day needs a national title. The Ohio State coach is embattled despite all his success largely because the Buckeyes haven't won one since 2014. Winning one would quiet a furious fan base that's on edge after a fourth straight loss to Michigan.

Does that make the title important for the Buckeys? Absolutely. Does it make it meaningful? Not so much.

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