Eight National Championships

1942 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS Under head coach Paul Brown, Ohio State went 9-1 on the season to win the school's first National Championship.

This ball was used in Ohio State's 21-7 win over Michigan in 1942 to clinch the Big Ten Championship. It is signed by more than 40, including head coach Paul Brown and Ohio State's first Heisman Trophy winner Les Horvath (1944), who scored all three touchdowns in the win. It was presented after the game to assistant coach Hugh S. "Mac" McGranahan.

1954 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

The Buckeyes went a perfect 10-0 on the season, defeating a total of six ranked teams. They knocked off #17 Southern Cal, 20-7, in the 1955 Rose Bowl to give legendary coach Woody Hayes his first of five national championships.

1957 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

Ohio State was unranked for the first four weeks of the season after being upset by TCU in the season opener. They won their final nine games including #5 Iowa and #19 Michigan in back-to-back weeks in November on their way to the school's third National Championship.

1961 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

The Buckeyes went 8-0-1 on the season, tying TCU in the opener. They declined an invitation to the 1962 Rose Bowl, and were awarded the 1961 National Championship by the FWAA.

1968 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

Ohio State was a perfect 10-0 and defeated #2 Southern Cal, 27-16, in the 1969 Rose Bowl and was unanimously voted the 1968 national champions. This season also produced one of the most memorable quotes in Woody Hayes tenure in Columbus. After scoring a touchdown to go up 50-14 on #4 Michigan, Woody Hayes elected to try a two-point conversion. He was asked later why with such a big lead, his response was, "because they wouldn't let me go for three."

1970 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

Ohio State finished 9-1 on the season, defeating #4 Michigan 20-9 to claim the Big Ten championship and a berth into the Rose Bowl. They were upset by 12th ranked Stanford in the 1971 Rose Bowl, but had already been voted the National Football Foundation National Champions for the 1970 season.

2002 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

Under head coach Jim Tressel, Ohio State became the first team to finish the season 14-0. Ohio State used two overtimes to upset heavily favored Miami (FL), 31-24, in the BCS National Championship. It was the school's first title in over 30 years and their first perfect season since 1968.

2014 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

Head coach Urban Meyer returned to Ohio to lead the Buckeyes for seven seasons starting in 2012. After seeing his starting quarterback go down against Michigan in the regular season finale of 2014, his start tailback Ezekiel Elliott stepped up to post three straight 200-yard rushing performances against Wisconsin, Alabama, and Oregon in succession. The final one came in a 42-20 win over the Ducks which led Ohio State to the National Championship in the Inaugural College Football Playoff. It was Meyer's third title overall and his only one at Ohio State.