I’ve got to say, this has been one of the newsiest seasons I can remember covering. It’s not enough just to watch and write about the games; you’ve also got to stay on top of coaches getting fired after a win, not fired after a bad loss, private equity deals and GMs going to Saudi Arabia — and, of course, tortilla controversies.

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We’ll get to that last one later.

Of the 44 first- and second-teamers currently at Ohio State, I only count eight seniors scattered among both levels. So, if they win the national championship again this year, would they also start the 2026 season as the favorite? — Charles C.

Yes, because Ohio State would be back-to-back national champions at that point, and no one would dare vote for anyone else, possibly for several years. But before we go ahead and fast-forward to August 2026, I’d like to take this opportunity to slow everybody’s roll about the 2025 Buckeyes.

Ohio State is the unquestioned No. 1 team right now, with good reason. Ryan Day’s team has been dominant. I’m not going to suggest it’s a fraud, or even that I’ve detected some vulnerability. But has anyone stopped to look at what’s become of its schedule?

The accolades began when the Buckeyes’ defense humiliated Texas and Arch Manning, but since then, everyone from UTEP to Florida to Kentucky has done the same. Illinois was their other Top 25 win, but the Illini have been overvalued by the pollsters all season. They are No. 31 in ESPN’s SP+ ratings and No. 38 in Austin Mock’s College Football Playoff odds while boasting the nation’s No. 79 defense in yards per play. Minnesota, which Ohio State beat 42-3 in Columbus, is closer to No. 50 than No. 25 in the power ratings. And Wisconsin might be worst team in the Big Ten.

Ohio State’s most impressive performance remains its 24-6 win at Washington on Sept. 27 when the Buckeyes held a top-20 Huskies offense to 234 yards. That was the game when I said that defense is special. I still feel that way. But even that win got a bit devalued when Michigan also shut down Washington last week, a 24-7 win in Ann Arbor. And now, what we all assumed would be Ohio State’s second-biggest conference game, Nov. 1 versus Penn State, has been reduced to rubble as well. We won’t see the Buckeyes get tested again before The Game.

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Now let’s compare those first seven games w