Ohio State remains rested. Assembling college football’s top squad, the Buckeyes employ a defensive unit that didn’t work overly hard through their opening nine games.
The Big Ten-leading Buckeyes enter Saturday’s matchup against Rutgers at Ohio Stadium with the No. 2-ranked stop rate defense. A stop rate is a metric that measures the percentage of series a defense denies via downs, turnovers over punts.
Texas Tech ranks first among FBS teams with an 83.5 percent stop rate, while the Buckeyes post an 82.1 percent stop rate. They also rank first in allowing 0.89 points per drive.
During last Saturday’s 48-10 victory over the UCLA Bruins, the Buckeyes’ defense participated in only 48 plays. Competing without starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava (concussion), the Bruins’ longest drive resulted in 14 yards on six snaps.
To Ohio State coach Ryan Day, the effort was business as usual.
“It was businesslike, workmanlike,” Day said, as reported by The Associated Press. “We had an opportunity to play some of the younger guys, we got the run game going, defense played strong and the kickoff return was good to see.”
Through nine games, the Buckeyes faced 550 plays, 111 fewer than Texas Tech. The Buckeyes have retained the nation’s top ranking for 12 consecutive weeks, the third-longest run in program history.
Backed by a rested defensive unit, the Buckeyes (+190) remain the overwhelming sports-betting favorite to claim back-to-back 2025 CFP championships, according to BetOnline Sportsbook. Conference rival Indiana (+500) drew the second-best odds. Rounding out the top four are Texas A&M (+750) and Notre Dame (+800).
STOP RATE
The best defenses in college football at getting stops and preventing points.
Full FBS standings after Week 12: https://t.co/r4bptMpvpt pic.twitter.com/jw82OqPjJX
— Max Olson (@max_olson) November 18, 2025
2025 CFP Championship Odds
Here is a Week 13 look at the 2025 CFP Championship winning odds, according to BetOnline Sportsbook:
| Team | 2025 CFP Championship Odds |
|---|---|
| Ohio State | +190 |
| Indiana | +500 |
| Texas A&M | +750 |
| Notre Dame | +800 |
| Georgia | +1000 |
| Oregon | +1200 |
| Texas Tech | +1200 |
| Alabama | +1400 |
| Ole Miss | +1400 |
| Oklahoma | +2500 |
| Miami (Fla.) | +5000 |
| Utah | +5000 |
| Southern Cal | +10000 |
| Vanderbilt | +10000 |
| Michigan | +12500 |
| BYU | +12500 |
| Georgia Tech | +20000 |
| Texas | +30000 |
| North Texas | +30000 |
| SMU | +40000 |
| James Madison | +50000 |
| Virginia | +50000 |
| Pittsburgh | +50000 |
*-Odds current at time of publication
