Live College Football Rankings

Ohio State

B10 · 1981 Season · Final

Developing −
Record
9–3
0.750 Win %
Conference
2nd
6–2 in B10

All-Time Resume

Ranked Seasons
115
1904–2026
All-Time Record
884–271–36
0.757 Win %
Peak Final Rank
#1
1968, 2014, 2024
#1 Finishes
3
Top 5: 26 · Top 10: 43 · Top 25: 72
  • 12-Team Playoff & Revenue Era · 2 seasons · 2 Top 10 · 1× #1
  • Limited Playoff Era · 26 seasons · 20 Top 10 · 1× #1
  • Independents & Bowl Tie-In Era · 16 seasons · 3 Top 10
  • Divisional Era · 26 seasons · 10 Top 10 · 1× #1
  • AP Poll & Postwar Era · 20 seasons · 4 Top 10
  • Forward Pass & Stadium Boom Era · 23 seasons · 4 Top 10
  • Pioneer Era · 1 seasons

Final finishes, as published; the season in progress counts toward record only. Compare Ohio State head-to-head · History & Eras

1981 Schedule & Results

WkDateOpponentConfOpp. RecordResult
3Week 3 · Sep 15Duke (DUKE)H2HACC6–5W 34–13
4Week 4 · Sep 22Michigan State (MICHIGAN STATE)H2HB105–6W 27–13
5Week 5 · Sep 29Stanford (STANFORD)H2HPAC4–7W 24–19
6Week 6 · Oct 6Florida State (FLORIDA STATE)H2HIND FBSI6–5L 27–36
7Week 7 · Oct 13Wisconsin (WISCONSIN)H2HB107–5L 21–24
8Week 8 · Oct 20Illinois (ILLINOIS)H2HB107–4W 34–27
9Week 9 · Oct 27Indiana (INDIANA)H2HB103–8W 29–10
10Week 10 · Nov 3Purdue (PURDUE)H2HB105–6W 45–33
11Week 11 · Nov 10Minnesota (MINNESOTA)H2HB106–5L 31–35
12Week 12 · Nov 17Northwestern (NORTHWESTERN)H2HB100–11W 70–6
13Week 13 · Nov 24Michigan (MICHIGAN)H2HB109–3W 14–9
18Final · Jan 5Navy (NAVY)H2HIND FBSI7–4–1W 31–28

Past season results come from the published weekly rankings; home/away is not recorded. Unranked = opponent outside the ranked field. Kickoff times in Eastern Time. TBD = not yet announced. vs* = neutral site. Opp. Record is the current season record; — = unavailable.

Rating Tier Spectrum
1.765
Paramount (best)Rock Bottom

Where the rating sits on the 12-tier scale (lower is better).

NOW — Net Opponent Wins
+31
-15+46
  • Michigan +9
  • Illinois +7
  • Navy +7
  • Duke +6
  • Michigan State +5
  • Purdue +5
  • Stanford +4
  • Indiana +3
  • Northwestern 0
  • Florida State -5
  • Wisconsin -5
  • Minnesota -5

Each win stacks that opponent's win total to the right; each loss stacks that opponent's loss total to the left.

National Standing
Rank #19Better than 87%
Win % Place 19thBetter than 87%

0.750 Win % · Change 7

Percent of all FBS teams this team is ahead of.

Rank by Week
#25Regular Season Final#26Post-Season W1#25Post-Season W2#26Post-Season W3#19Final

Higher on the chart = better rank.

Game Margins
+21
+14
+5
-9
-3
+7
+19
+12
-4
+64
+5
+3

Bars above the line are wins, below are losses; height = point margin.

Final Rank by Season
#61976#181977#361978#71979#171980

Higher = better finish. Ranks as published.

Power Up Rankings is an independent sports analytics and rankings publication. All team, school, conference, league, tournament, and championship names, logos, emblems, colors, trophies, and related marks are trademarks and property of their respective owners. Their use on this site is for editorial, informational, and identification purposes only and does not imply any affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement.

Copyright © 2026. All Rights Reserved. Power Up Rankings