The 2001 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

in the

2001 NCAA Division I-A football season The 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first college football season of the 21st century. It ended with the University of Miami winning the national title for the fifth time. The Hurricanes were led by Larry Coker, who was in his ...

. It marked their first season under new head coach

Jim Tressel James Patrick Tressel (born December 5, 1952) is an American politician and retired college football coach who has served as the 67th lieutenant governor of Ohio since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, Tressel previously was the president ...

. The Buckeyes compiled a 7–5 record, capped by a 26–20 victory over their

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the

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in the regular season finale. The Buckeyes went on to play in the 2002 Outback Bowl in

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, where they lost, 31–28, to the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fight ...

Preseason

The 2001

Ohio State Buckeyes football The Ohio State Buckeyes football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing Ohio State University in the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State has played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, since 1 ...

season marked a transition from former head coach John Cooper to new head coach

. Tressel was beginning his first season as head coach at the Division I-A level as the 22nd head coach of the Buckeyes. He came from

Youngstown State University Youngstown State University (YSU or Youngstown State) is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio. The university is composed of six undergrad ...

where he led the

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to four national championships at the Division I-AA level. The Buckeyes finished the 2000 season with an 8–4 record and Coach Cooper was later fired on January 2, 2001. Prior to Cooper's firing, the Buckeyes were ranked 23rd in the AP Poll, losing in the

2001 Outback Bowl The 2001 Outback Bowl featured the South Carolina Gamecocks, and the Ohio State Buckeyes. It was the 15th edition of the Outback Bowl. Summary After a scoreless first quarter, South Carolina kicker Jason Corse put the Gamecocks on the board wit ...

to the

by a score of 24–7.

Schedule

Roster

Coaching staff

- Head Coach (1st year) * Jim Bollman - Offensive Line/OC (1st year) * Ken Conaster - Special Teams (1st year) * Bill Conley - Tight Ends / Recruiting Coordinator (15th year) * Joe Daniels - Quarterbacks (1st year) *

Mark Dantonio Mark Justin Dantonio (born March 9, 1956) is an American college football coach and former player. His most recent head coaching position was at Michigan State University, a position he had held from 2007 to 2019. He led the Michigan State Spar ...

- Defensive Coordinator (1st year) * Jim Heacock - Defensive Line (6th year) * Mark Snyder - Defensive Linebackers (1st year) * Tim Spencer - Running Backs (8th year) *

Mel Tucker Melvin Gene Tucker II (born January 4, 1972) is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Michigan State University from 2020 to 2023. Tucker was the interim head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the Na ...

- Defensive Backs (1st year) * Bob Tucker - Director of Football Operations (7th year) *

Dick Tressel Dick Tressel (born ) is a former American football coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from 1978 to 2000, compiling a record of 124–102–2. Tressel wa ...

- Associate Director of Football Operations (1st year)

Depth chart

Source: Athletic Department official site, 2001 football archive 12-01 depth chart

Game summaries

Akron

UCLA

Indiana

Northwestern

Wisconsin

San Diego State

Penn State

Minnesota

Purdue

Illinois

Michigan

2002 Outback Bowl

Rankings

2002 NFL draftees

Source:

References

{{Ohio State Buckeyes football navbox

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

Ohio State Buckeyes football seasons