In or out? A verdict on which of the College Football Playoff qualifiers will be back in the bracket next season.

The Ambridge native helped Ohio State football capture another national title as the Buckeyes defeated Notre Dame 34-23 on Jan. 20.

The early betting favorite to win next year’s national championship is Ohio State. The question nobody can really answer at this time is what sort of game will the Buckeyes or anyone else return to when they kick it off again seven months from now.

Let's take a look back at Sports Illustrated's best images and coverage from the Buckeyes' championship night.

The best game of the 2024 college football season is a historic upset that sent shockwaves throughout the sport, according to ESPN's rankings. Bill Connelly, the founder of the SP+ computer model, ranked the top 100 games of the season following Ohio State 's march to a national championship in the first 12-team College Football Playoff.

Jesse Temple: Ohio State has been a juggernaut during a three-game winning streak in the Playoff, embarrassing Tennessee and Oregon. Notre Dame has won 13 straight games and put together a fantastic season. But Ohio State’s balance and overall talent should emerge. … Ohio State 24, Notre Dame 14.

Ohio State finishes the college football season at the top of the NCAA Re-Rank 1-134. But where do the rest of the teams fall? We list them all.

Ohio State football revealed that a quality control coach is under investigation after being placed on administrative leave in December

Week 1 of the 2025 college football season features a loaded slate, including LSU at Clemson, Notre Dame at Miami and Alabama at Florida State, among others. LSU-Clemson could be a top-five matchup, as could the biggest headliner: Manning and Texas visiting Ohio State in a matchup of the 2024 national champion and our early 2025 favorite.

The 2024 college football season saw some fun surprises, like Arizona State making it to the playoffs, but not everything went well across the FBS landscape. Some teams opened the year with big expectations but then failed to live up to them for one reason or another.

So far, only Carnell Tate has established himself as a starter. The former No. 8 player and No. 9 wide receiver in the 2023 class caught 52 passes for 733 yards and four touchdowns this season playing alongside senior Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith. Now he and Smith are among the few returning starters for the Buckeyes in 2025.