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Desmond Howard Names The True No. 1 Team In College Football

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Nov 1, 2025 10:48 AM ET

Unsurprisingly, Desmond Howard threw shade at Ohio State during this Saturday's episode of "College GameDay."

Howard, a Heisman Trophy winner and Michigan legend, is no stranger to taking shots at Ohio State. His latest argument is that Ryan Day's squad doesn't deserve to be No. 1 in the top 25. The Buckeyes are currently 7-0 heading into this weekend's showdown with the Penn State Nittany Lions.

The reason Howard doesn't have Ohio State ranked No. 1 is because of the lack of quality wins on the résumé. To be fair though, Illinois, Texas and Washington are no slouches.

So who does Howard consider to be the No. 1 team in the country? As of this moment, he's all in on Indiana.

"I think Indiana should be No. 1 because of their wins," Howard said. "It’s safe to say that [Ohio State is] overrated at No. 1. They probably should be No. 2."

Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; Desmond Howard on the ESPN Gameday set at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Indiana and Ohio State on collision course.

According to ESPN Analytics, there’s a 70% chance that Indiana and Ohio State will meet in the Big Ten championship game this season. That's not a huge surprise considering both schools are undefeated heading into Week 10.

ESPN's Football Power Index, however, gives Ohio State a better chance of winning the Big Ten. Indiana isn't too far behind though.

If Ohio State and Indiana meet in the conference title game, we'll figure out which team truly deserves to be No. 1 in the polls.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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