| 2013 Ohio State Buckeyes football | |
|---|---|
 | |
Big Ten Leaders Division champion | |
Orange Bowl, L 35–40 vs. Clemson | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Leaders Division | |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 10 |
| AP | No. 12 |
| Record | 12–2 (8–0 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Tom Herman (2nd season) |
| Co-offensive coordinator | Ed Warinner (2nd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Spread |
| Co-defensive coordinator | Luke Fickell (8th; 13th overall season) |
| Co-defensive coordinator | Everett Withers (2nd season) |
| Base defense | Multiple |
| Captain | 8
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| Home stadium | Ohio Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Legends Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Michigan State x$ | 8 | – | 0 | 13 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 4 | – | 4 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan | 3 | – | 5 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 1 | – | 7 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leaders Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Ohio State x% | 8 | – | 0 | 12 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 22 Wisconsin | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Penn State* | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 1 | – | 7 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 0 | – | 8 | 1 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Michigan State 34, Ohio State 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2013 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented Ohio State University in the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Buckeye's 124th overall, the 101st as a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the third as a member of the Big Ten Leaders Division. The team was led by Urban Meyer, in his second year as head coach, and played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes finished the regular season with an undefeated record for the second consecutive year, as well as Big Ten Leaders Division champions for the second consecutive year. They finished the season with a record of 12 wins and 2 losses (12–2 overall, 8–0 in the Big Ten), following losses to Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game and to Clemson in the Orange Bowl.
After an undefeated season in 2012, Ohio State signed a highly ranked recruiting class and entered the 2013 season ranked No. 2 in all major college football polls, as well as being considered the favorite to win the Leaders Division, while also competing for the Big Ten championship and national championship. Ohio State opened the season defeating all of their non-conference opponents by a combined score of 210–61. The Buckeyes opened their conference schedule with victories over the Wisconsin Badgers and Northwestern Wildcats, both ranked at the time, and improved their record to 6–0. A 63–14 victory over Penn State and a 60–35 victory over Illinois kept the Buckeyes highly ranked throughout the season. A 42–41 victory over Michigan in The Game gave Ohio State a 12–0 regular season record for the second consecutive season. Following losses in the Big Ten Championship Game and the Orange Bowl, the Buckeyes finished the season ranked No. 10 in the Coaches' Poll and No. 12 in the AP Poll.
At the end of the season, several players were recognized with postseason awards for individual accomplishments. Braxton Miller was named the Big Ten offensive player of the year, as well as the Big Ten quarterback of the year for the second consecutive season, while Carlos Hyde was named the Big Ten running back of the year. Also, Ryan Shazier was named to the Associated Press All-American First Team, while Carlos Hyde and Jack Mewhort were named to the Associated Press All-American Second Team. The Buckeyes' also had six players taken in the NFL draft, including Shazier and Bradley Roby, who were both taken in the first round.