ESPN is already gearing up for the 2025 college football season. The Worldwide Leader has put together its way-too-early top 25 rankings and now is taking a look at the top teams’ schedules this fall.

In ESPN’s early top-25 rankings, the Ohio State Buckeyes are No. 1 coming off 2024’s College Football Playoff National Championship.

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ESPN analyst Jake Trotter picked The Game on Nov. 29 in Ann Arbor. Here’s what he had to say about the rivalry clash with Michigan:

Is there a team in college football with a game more defining than Ohio State’s trip to Michigan on Nov. 29? Ohio State faces Texas in the opener in a rematch of this past season’s thrilling playoff semifinal — and what could be a showdown of No. 1 vs. No. 2. On Nov. 1, the Buckeyes will take on former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and Penn State, ranked third in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings. Yet neither of those scintillating matchups will trump “The Game” for the Buckeyes, who have lost four in a row in the series, including last season’s stunning 13-10 defeat at home. Ohio State rebounded from that devastating loss to roll through the playoff, capturing the program’s first national championship since 2014. Still, losing once to the Wolverines is unacceptable for Buckeye Nation, much less four straight. Ohio State can defeat Texas and Penn State. But if the Buckeyes lose yet again to Michigan, the season will seem like a disappointment for those in Columbus — short of it ending with another national championship.

The Game is one of those 24/7/365 rivalries, and everyone knows the Buckeyes are eager to snap the streak. Thanks to the COVID-impacted 2020 season, OSU’s last win over Michigan came in 2019.

While CFP expansion has changed some things, winning The Game still means as much as ever to both teams.