The 2020 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented Ohio State University in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Ryan Day, and played their home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. It was the Buckeyes' 131st season overall and 108th as a member of the Big Ten Conference.

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2020 Ohio State Buckeyes football
Big Ten champion Big Ten East Division champion Sugar Bowl champion
Big Ten Championship Game, W 22–10 vs. Northwestern
Sugar Bowl (CFP semifinal), W 49–28 vs. Clemson CFP National Championship, L 24–52 vs. Alabama
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	East Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 2
AP	No. 2
Record	7–1 (5–0 Big Ten)
Head coach	Ryan Day (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Kevin Wilson (4th season)
Offensive scheme	West Coast spread
Defensive coordinator	Kerry Coombs (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Greg Mattison (2nd season)
Base defense	4–3
Captain	Wyatt Davis Tuf Borland Shaun Wade Justin Hilliard Justin Fields Jonathon Cooper Josh Myers
Home stadium	Ohio Stadium
Seasons ← 2019 2021 →

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The season was played amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Big Ten Conference initially cancelled the fall sports season, on August 11, 2020,^[2] but reversed course on September 16, announcing an eight-game conference-only schedule.^[3][4] Ohio State's nonconference games against Bowling Green, Oregon, and Buffalo were cancelled. Precautions were taken to promote player, staff, and fan safety, including regular COVID-19 testing, isolation requirements, and mask wearing; games were largely played with no or few fans in attendance.

Ohio State began the season ranked second in the preseason AP Poll. In the regular season, the team secured victories against ranked opponents Penn State and Indiana, but had games canceled, due to COVID-19 outbreaks, against Maryland, Illinois and Michigan. Big Ten Conference rules established before the season specified that teams would need to complete at least six conference games in order to be eligible for the conference championship game. After Ohio State's game against Michigan was canceled, and Ohio State having only completed five games, the conference voted to change these rules and allow the undefeated Ohio State team to represent the East Division. The conference cited the fact that Ohio State would have won the division with either a win or loss against Michigan.^[5] In the conference title game, Ohio State defeated West Division champion Northwestern, 22–10, winning their fourth consecutive Big Ten title. In the final College Football Playoff rankings of the season, Ohio State was ranked third, earning them a place in the national semi-final game to be played at the Sugar Bowl against second-seeded Clemson. In that game, a rematch of the previous season's semifinal, Ohio State won by a score of 49–28. The team advanced to the CFP National Championship against top-seeded Alabama, who had advanced by winning the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes lost, 52–24.

The Buckeye offense was led by junior quarterback Justin Fields, who led the Big Ten Conference with 2,100 passing yards and 22 passing touchdowns, and was named the conference's Offensive Player of the Year. The team's leading rushers were Trey Sermon and Master Teague, the former setting a school record with 331 rushing yards in the Big Ten Championship Game. Wide receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson were each named first-team all-conference. Offensive lineman Wyatt Davis was a consensus All-American and the conference's Offensive Lineman of the Year. On defense, the team featured consensus All-American cornerback Shaun Wade, who was the conference's Defensive Back of the Year. Linebacker Pete Werner was also named first-team all-conference and led the team in tackles.

Ohio State had games scheduled against Bowling Green, Oregon, and Buffalo, but canceled these games on July 9 due to the Big Ten Conference's decision to play a conference-only schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[6] The Big Ten successfully voted to postpone all fall sports, including football, on August 11,^[7] but announced on September 16 that the decision had been reversed, and that the football season would begin on October 23.^[8]

In Big Ten Conference play, Ohio State will play all members of the East Division and the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Illinois Fighting Illini from the West Division. On November 11, Maryland announced the game scheduled for November 14 was canceled due after team-related activities were paused because of an elevated number of coronavirus cases within the Terrapins' program.^[9]

On November 27, it was announced that head coach Ryan Day contracted COVID-19 and was in self isolation. Larry Johnson was named interim head coach for the Illinois game to be played on November 28. On the evening of November 27, the Ohio State - Illinois game was officially canceled as the OSU athletic department paused all team-related football activities amid further positive tests for COVID-19 were discovered.^[10]

On December 8, Michigan announced the game scheduled for December 12 was canceled and all team-related activities were paused because of an elevated number of coronavirus cases within the Wolverines' program.^[11] Due to the cancellation, Ohio State would have not reached the 6 game minimum for the Big Ten Championship Game, but the conference lowered the minimum requirement to 5 games, allowing the team to face the Northwestern Wildcats in the championship game.

On December 19, Ohio State beat the Northwestern Wildcats in the Big Ten Championship game 22–10. The following day, the Buckeyes were selected as the No. 3 seed by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, resulting in a spot in the Sugar Bowl against the No. 2 Clemson Tigers.

On January 1, 2021, the Ohio State defeated the Clemson Tigers in the Sugar Bowl 49–28, advancing them to the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide.

^[12]

(*) Big Ten Conference members were not eligible for the Week 2 of the AP and Coaches Polls and Week 3 of the AP due to not having a scheduled season at the time.