Only one school in college football history has eclipsed the 900 win mark. That honor goes to Ohio State's rivals to the north as the Wolverines boast 935 all-time victories.
This season though, the Buckeyes have a chance to become the second team. As Eleven Warriors member Outraged Brush points out, Ohio State currently sits at 886 wins, putting the Buckeyes within striking distance of making history during the 2017 season. It's worth noting that the 886 number does not include the 12 wins during the 2010 season, as those wins were vacated (vacating wins is a dumb practice, but we'll play by the rules anyway).
Ohio State needs 14 wins to reach 900, which admittedly seems like a tall task, but it basically means is that if the Buckeyes win the 2017 College Football Playoff Title, they will reach 900 wins. It's unlikely Ohio State would make the playoff with fewer than 12 wins (though it happened in 2016), and two playoff wins would give the Buckeyes 14 on the season. In fact, every College Football Playoff champion so far has finished the season with 14 wins, and Alabama did it last season while losing the national title game.
The issue really is not whether Ohio State will make the mark with a national title – it most likely will – it's whether or not the Buckeyes will be the second to do it. The Buckeyes currently sit fourth on the all-time wins list, behind Michigan, Texas and Nebraska. With stellar seasons, those teams could make it to 900 before Ohio State has a chance.
| Rank | Team | Won | Lost | Tied | Pct. | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | 935 | 333 | 36 | .731 | 1304 |
| 2 | Texas | 891 | 359 | 33 | .723 | 1283 |
| 3 | Nebraska | 889 | 371 | 40 | .699 | 1300 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 886 | 322 | 53 | .708 | 1278 |
| 5 | Alabama | 878 | 326 | 43 | .720 | 1239 |
| 6 | Notre Dame | 874 | 321 | 42 | .724 | 1253 |
| 7 | Oklahoma | 872 | 321 | 53 | .721 | 1238 |
| 8 | Penn State | 867 | 386 | 41 | .686 | 1294 |
| 9 | Tennessee | 825 | 371 | 53 | .682 | 1249 |
| 10 | USC | 816 | 336 | 54 | .699 | 1206 |
*Data from Wikipedia.com
Nebraska would need 11 wins to reach 900. Bovada has the Huskers' win total at 7.5 currently, so they would have to drastically exceed expectations and win two of three games against Wisconsin, Ohio State and Penn State, which isn't happening.
Texas, on the other hand, is a far bigger threat. The Longhorns need just nine wins to reach 900, and Bovada has their win total at 7.5. While that still means Texas would have to exceed expectations, winning 1.5 more games more than projected does not seem out of the realm of possibility for Tom Herman.
Still, all this is predicated on Ohio State winning a national championship in 2017, which is far from a given. But if it does happen, you'll know to take a look at the record books.
