2019 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

2019 Ohio State Buckeyes football
Big Ten champion
Big Ten East Division champion
Fiesta Bowl (CFP semifinal), L 23–29 vs. Clemson
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
DivisionEast Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 3
APNo. 3
Record13–1 (9–0 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorKevin Wilson (3rd season)
Offensive schemeWest Coast spread
Defensive coordinatorGreg Mattison (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinatorJeff Hafley (1st season)
Base defense4–3 hybrid
CaptainTuf Borland
J. K. Dobbins
Master Teague
K. J. Hill
C. J. Saunders
Chase Young
Home stadiumOhio Stadium
Uniform
Seasons
← 2018
2020 →
2019 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 3 Ohio State xy$^   9 0     13 1  
No. 9 Penn State   7 2     11 2  
No. 18 Michigan   6 3     9 4  
Indiana   5 4     8 5  
Michigan State   4 5     7 6  
Maryland   1 8     3 9  
Rutgers   0 9     2 10  
West Division
No. 11 Wisconsin xy   7 2     10 4  
No. 10 Minnesota x   7 2     11 2  
No. 15 Iowa   6 3     10 3  
Illinois   4 5     6 7  
Purdue   3 6     4 8  
Nebraska   3 6     5 7  
Northwestern   1 8     3 9  
Championship: Ohio State 34, Wisconsin 21
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2019 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented Ohio State University during the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Buckeyes played their home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. This was the Buckeyes' 130th overall season and 107th as a member of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by Ryan Day, in his first season as Ohio State's full-time head coach.

Ohio State began the year ranked fifth in the preseason AP Poll. The Buckeyes climbed to number one in the College Football Playoff rankings by the end of the regular season, after dominating wins over Conference USA champion Florida Atlantic, American Athletic Conference runner-up Cincinnati, and Mid-American Conference champion Miami (OH) in the non-conference schedule; and comfortable wins over ranked Big Ten teams Wisconsin, Penn State, and Michigan in conference play. In the Big Ten Championship Game, Ohio State defeated Wisconsin a second time, by a score of 34–21 to win their third consecutive conference title. In the final CFP rankings of the season, Ohio State dropped from first to second, passed by SEC champion LSU, which placed Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl to play defending national champion and third-seeded Clemson. Ohio State lost that game, 29–23, to end the year at 13–1.

The Buckeyes were led on offense by sophomore quarterback Justin Fields, an incoming transfer from Georgia that was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility by the NCAA. He led the Big Ten with 3,273 passing yards and 41 passing touchdowns to go along with 10 rushing touchdowns, and finished third in voting for the Heisman Trophy. Running back J. K. Dobbins became the first Buckeye running back to eclipse the 2,000 yard mark, finishing tied atop the Big Ten with Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor at 2,003 yards and 21 touchdowns. On defense, Ohio State was led by defensive end Chase Young, who led the country with 16.5 sacks and won several defensive player of the year awards while also finishing fourth in Heisman Trophy voting. He was also named a unanimous All-American, along with cornerback Jeff Okudah. Head coach Ryan Day was named Big Ten Coach of the Year by the media, becoming the first Ohio State head coach to win it since Earle Bruce in 1979.