Nick Saban is most certainly in G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all-time) conversation, so you knew that once he retired, Alabama would take a step back. And with the Crimson Tide no longer being the nation’s best of the best program, someone else would inevitably step up and fill the void.

Right now, it feels like Ohio State has done just that. They’re both the reigning national champions, and current #1 ranked team in every poll.

OSU earned championship rings in 2024, and at midseason of 2025, they are the favorites to do it again. Chris Poitras, the GM and SVP of Jostens, the leading maker/producer of championship rings, perfectly articulated what it means to be the team that currently gets to wear championship rings.

“The tradition of championship rings is still relatively new,” Poitras said in an exclusive with Ratings.org. “Part of our role is helping them understand what these rings truly represent. They’re more than just jewelry — they’re lasting symbols of achievement that players will cherish forever, mementos that can be passed down from generation to generation.”

Jostens, who recently launched an interactive platform called the Champions Collective, are in a partnership with the National Football Foundation, who release a weekly “Super 16 Poll.”

In the latest edition, Ohio State is obviously in the top spot, receiving 46 of the potential 56 first place votes. The story is the same in the other polls, where of course the Buckeyes are #1. In the coaches poll, Ohio State received 63 of the 66 first place votes. In the AP, 50 of the 66 votes. 

So maybe Ohio State isn’t becoming the new Alabama, but they already are? Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema, who lost 34-16 on Saturday to the Buckeyes, said it best. 

“When you play Ohio State it is a really good opportunity to see where you stand in college football,” Bielema said ahead of his team becoming the first Ohio State opponent to score double digit points on them this season. “They have held up their end of the bargain, and hopefully we are holding up ours.”

Perhaps the greatest testament to OSU’s power and prestige is the NFL Draft, where they have produced more first round selections, all-time, than any other school. USC is the next closest, with 85. In terms of all-time draft picks for all rounds, OSU is third with 503. USC is second with 533 while Notre Dame tops the list at 538. They have had at least one player selected in the first round of the past 12 NFL Drafts, a streak that’s third best in the nation. The Crimson Tide are currently first, with an active streak of 17. 

While Buckeye football will forever be synonymous with Woody Hayes’ “three yards and a cloud of dust,” from more than a half-century ago, they are also the perfect program paradigm of the modern passing game. Without a doubt, OSU is Wide Receiver U, as they consistently produce the NFL’s most top flight receivers, year after year. 

But they also have 5-star recruits, blue-chip prospects and likely first round selections at every position group, on both sides of the ball. There are playmakers at every level of the “Silver Bullets” defense, but the linebacking corps, all by itself, could send two to the first round in 2026, via Sonny Styles and Arvel Reese.

So in other words, yes, OSU has replaced Bama as the nation’s bellwether program; at least for now.