How do Ohio State fans feel now after winning the national title but losing to Michigan?

Now that Ohio State has won a national championship, have Buckeyes fans turned their focus to simply beating Michigan this year? Its important every season, of course, but with a fourth consecutive rivalry loss coinciding with that title run, it seems like it somehow could be an even more important game in 2025.

Advertisement Unfortunately for the program, specifically, Ryan Day, the expectations are even higher.

Another pucker in The Game would cause the fan base to grab their pitchforks and five back into Fire John Cooper 2.0 mode, reader Matt E.

said in our 2025 survey of Ohio State fans.

That would be a bit much, considering Day is one of just three active coaches with a national championship, but it shows how important The Game is for the mood of the fan base.

At Ohio State, the expectations are simple: beat Michigan, win the Big Ten and compete for a national title.

A lot has changed with 14 players gone to the NFL Draft, but its what fans expect again this year.

Heres how more than 1,000 Ohio State fans responded to our survey, which we opened last Thursday.

Since Ohio State won the national championship, the topic of rivalry games has been a major question among not just the Ohio State fan base, but the rest of the country.

Will the expanded College Football Playoff reduce the importance of rivalries? In a podcast with Will Howard and former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Sawyer said the national championship was more important.

Of the 1,000 responses to this question, 89 percent of you agreed with Sawyer.

Winning the national championship is the ultimate goal, especially for last years senior-laden team.

The Game will always be important, though.

Its the best rivalry in the sport and the Playoff cant diminish that.

Winning the national championship put Day in rarified air, but nobody around the program will be fully satisfied until the losing streak against Michigan ends.

Despite the rut, confidence hasnt wavered in Ohio State ending the drought.

Of the 1,000 responses, 44 percent are somewhat confident Day will end the losing streak this year, while 32 percent are very confident.

Only 4.3% are skeptical.

Advertisement Winning the national championship can change expectations for fan bases.

Some immediately think about winning back-to-back title games, while others like to cherish the win for a bit.

Its hard to win back-to-back titles, as Georgia is the only team in the College Football Playoff era to win two in a row.

The nearly 900 free responses to this question showed that many fans still have the same expectation for Ohio State, because thats the standard for a program that has won three national titles this century and finished in the AP top 10 in 11 consecutive seasons.

The standard is the standard.

Unless Day changes his three goals, its to win the Big Ten, make the Playoff and compete for a national title, Jordan W.

said.

Some of you are at least a little more relaxed going into the season.

Im not carrying the anxiety of expectations coming into this year.

Im really excited for it to be what itll be, Tyler S.

said.

Ohio State is one of the rare programs in the country that should have national championship hopes every season, but that doesnt mean coming up short is an unsuccessful season.

I wish I couldve gotten the results to this question after the Michigan loss last November to see how different these answers are.

But right now, 63 percent of voters give Day an A grade for his time as Ohio States head coach.

Day is 70-10, with just one loss to an unranked team.

He has four top-five finishes in six years and now has a national title.

Its a resume every team would want for their head coach.

While the majority of voters gave Day the highest rating, 34.8 percent of voters gave Day a B.

Its hard to critique a coach with his record, but if youre going to knock him a grade, then its because of his 1-4 record against Michigan.

Advertisement Last year, with the championship-or-bust mentality, more than half of the voters said a successful season meant a Big Ten title and a national championship game appearance.

Only 19 percent of voters said that this year.

In fact, that was just the third-highest percentage, with 41.7 percent of voters saying a Big Ten title and Playoff appearance is enough to qualify as a successful season.

Meanwhile, 19.5 percent of voters simply said beating Michigan is enough.

Thats a major change from the previous year, but not a surprise.

Personally, I think a Playoff quarterfinal appearance should be the baseline expectation for Ohio State each season, but a win over Michigan this year might be enough to make everybody happy no matter what the postseason looks like.

Unsurprisingly Sayin won this vote in a landslide.

Sayin transferred to Ohio State after Nick Saban retired at Alabama.

The five-star recruit was the No.

1 quarterback in the 2024 class and has been the darling of the quarterback room for the fan base since he arrived on campus.

Though he was above Kienholz in the depth chart last season, I dont think their battle is over.

In fact, I think this battle is closer than many believe (or want to believe).

They both seem to have good and bad days, as youd expect from quarterbacks who havent held starting jobs.

I think Sayin had the better spring game, but the key is going to be who comes back this summer the most improved going into preseason camp.

Thats where Howard stole the show last year, and it will be the focus again.

Most of you are buying into the Smith stock again this year, as more than four out of five voters believe the sophomore receiver will be a Heisman Trophy finalist.

I think Im firmly on that train, as well.

I hesitated to go that far this offseason, but it just makes sense.

Think about the college football landscape this year: There is no slam-dunk superstar quarterback.

There are some possibilities, from Texas Arch Manning to Penn States Drew Allar to Clemsons Cade Klubnik to Floridas DJ Lagway to LSUs Garrett Nussmeier.

All of them could make it to New York if their teams perform well, but they all have something to prove.

Advertisement Smith, however, enters the season as perhaps the consensus best player in college football after catching 75 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns as a freshman.

The promotion of receivers coach Brian Hartline to play caller and offensive coordinator shouldnt be overlooked.

It may take time to get a new quarterback in rhythm, but the best friend to a first-year starting quarterback is a reliable target.

They dont get much more reliable than Smith.

Patricias hiring was a major conversation starter this offseason.

While hes had success as a defensive coordinator with the New England Patriots, his time as a head coach for the Detroit Lions, going 13-29 in three years, is fresh on the minds of most fans who live within driving distance of Detroit.

Still, hes an accomplished play caller, and his experience led to more than 70 percent of voters giving him at least a B as Jim Knowles replacement.

Unsurprisingly, the Michigan game is on most peoples minds for this one even though Texas and Penn State are on track to be ranked higher in the preseason.

The Game earned 55 percent; no matter what happens in the first 11 games, theres sure to be trepidation about what will happen in the Big House given how the past four years have gone.

The opener against Texas got 30 percent of votes.

A Cotton Bowl rematch will draw national attention, and starting the season out with a top-five win would do well for the confidence of this new-look team going forward.

Fans are less nervous about a visit from Penn State, which hasnt won in Columbus since 2011.

Not surprisingly, the overwhelming majority of voters do not believe the Buckeyes will repeat as national champions.

Ohio State has upside with a loaded secondary and a plethora of skill position players that the coaching staff can use.

Still, with a new quarterback and 14 draft picks gone, it will be a difficult road to repeat.

Advertisement Two-thirds of voters believe Ohio State will take back the Big Ten title for the first time since 2020.

Penn State is second with 26 percent of the votes.

Those are the two answers I expected to lead the voting.

The Nittany Lions could easily be the favorite, and even the preseason No.

1, if were looking at roster strength alone.

Oregon, which got 6 percent, will be a contender, again.

Michigan got just three votes.

Let me bring up one sleeper: Nebraska has a relatively manageable schedule with no Ohio State or Oregon, and splitting games at Penn State and at home vs.

Iowa could give it a chance to finally emerge in the Big Ten race.

It very well could be Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State in contention again, but dont be surprised if theres more parity than expected.

Nearly half of voters believe Ohio State will finish 11-1, while 44.3 percent think the Buckeyes will go 10-2.

I think 10-2 should be the baseline expectation for Ohio State each season.

Texas, Penn State and Michigan are the headliners, but keep an eye on the Oct.

11 trip to Illinois, as the Illini are entering the season with their highest expectations in years .

The Big Noon Saturday conversation has resurfaced this offseason after Fox announced it would air the Ohio State-Texas game in Week 1 (though a kickoff time has not been officially announced).

Fans throughout the Big Ten have been outspoken about their disdain for noon ET games because it takes away from the atmosphere of a night game between ranked opponents.

It limits the excitement of games; noon is the worst possible time slot, Noah P.

said.

For some, the problem isnt the fact games are at noon; its that most big Ohio State games get the noon slot.

Last year, Ohio State played Penn State and Indiana, both top-five opponents at noon, in addition to the traditional early kickoff against Michigan.

Advertisement Im OK with one or two, but every big game shouldnt be at noon.

Recruiting isnt what it used to be with NIL, but a night game against a big-name team is still a great asset to have, Joe S.

said.

The argument for Big Noon Saturday is for dominating the early window.

The SEC puts its biggest games later, which gives the Big Ten the most viewers to start the day.

Im for it, huge exposure every week, Sky D.

said.

Voters are pretty split on their favorite kickoff window.

The most popular start time, with 40 percent of the vote, is the later afternoon slot, while prime-time games got 35 percent.

From a selfish perspective, I love noon games because I get home before the 8 p.m.

games and get to go to sleep at a normal time.

But the night game against Tennessee was an incredible atmosphere and Ohio State should push for as many of those as possible.

One of the things Bjork has been considering since taking over as athletic director has been the game-day atmosphere at Ohio Stadium.

Though its one of the most historic venues in the sport, there are potential changes like better Wi-Fi, renovated bathrooms, a grass field, a new video board and a better sound system that many of you pointed to.

For some, the focus is on the true atmosphere.

We need better music playing, lights, flashing fireworks, all those kinds of things that make it a place that is jumping, instead of a place where people tell you to sit down, Jim H.

said.

Ohio State brought all the pyrotechnics out for the Playoff game against Tennessee last year and it made for a good experience, but thats easier to do in a night game.

There are constant conversations going on at Ohio State about how to improve the fan experience, and after going all out for the Tennessee game, can the administration find a way to do it for early games, as well? (Top photo: Mark J.

Rebilas / Imagn Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.