By Andy Baskin, Cleveland Jewish News

If there is one clear message in college football, Ohio State shows no signs of letting anybody knock them off the top of the mountain.

The Buckeyes remain the No. 1 team in the country after knocking off Wisconsin. They play Penn State at noon on Nov. 1 at Ohio Stadium.

They are off to a 7-0 start. Riding an 11-game win streak dating back to last year, they have beaten eight straight top-25 teams, seven in the top 10.

Under new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, they have allowed four touchdowns this season. Ohio State is outscoring opponents 36-to-5.

Heisman trophy hopeful Jeremiah Smith told CBS Sports, “I feel like this team is better than last year’s team.”

It’s a bold statement for a team coming off a National Championship. Last year’s team made history.

Bill Rabinowitz covered the Ohio sports scene for The Columbus Dispatch for the past 26 years.

Like many great Central Ohio sportswriters, Rabinowitz has moved on to writing and podcasting for a new platform these days; the Dayton native has taken his talent to Substack.

But his love for writing books is still rolling strong. He has already penned Buckeye Rebirth: Urban Meyer, an Inspired Team, and a New Era at Ohio State (2013), The Chase: How Ohio State Captured the First College Football Playoff (2015), and Cardale Jones (2023).

His new book, Buckeye Brotherhood: How Ohio State Navigated a New World to Win a National Championship, was released Oct. 21.

He’ll sit down for a conversation with bucknuts.com creator Lee Schear on Nov. 20 with a kosher tailgate supper on the Dayton JCC’s Cultural Arts & Book Series.
Rabinowitz went the extra mile to explore the journey of Ohio State’s National Championship last season.

It was an improbable run for the Buckeyes after suffering one of the most significant defeats in school history, losing to Michigan in the last regular-season game of the year.

Coach’s remarkable journey
In Buckeye Brotherhood, Rabinowitz digs into the heart of Head Coach Ryan Day.

“Nobody has ever told Ryan Day’s story the way that this book does,” Rabinowitz told me via phone.

“I asked him about one point: has anyone even done a magazine profile on you, and he said no. His story is that his father died by suicide at age 8, which made him the man of the house. He had two younger brothers. His journey is really remarkable.”

We all know the pressure that comes with being the head coach at Ohio State. There are endless stories about how former Head Coach John Cooper would have “For Sale” signs in front of his house after losing to Michigan.

It doesn’t matter who the coach is; the heat is always on. Players getting paid and the transfer portal have made the job like working in an inferno.
The book also examines how Day’s family questioned the future after the Michigan loss.

“Growing up in New Hampshire, he didn’t really have any connection to big-time sports. He was Chip Kelly’s player and then protégé,” Rabinowitz explained.

‘Is this worth it?’
“There are multiple times during his career where he and (his wife) Nina just said, is this worth it? It really came to a head after the Michigan game when they lost. (After) that game, they were one foot out the door in Columbus. He wasn’t gonna get fired, but they were thinking this is just not worth it anymore.”

Buckeye Brotherhood highlights the Michigan game from the words of placekicker Jayden Fielding, who missed two field goals against the Wolverines. He also spotlights the now famous Jack Sawyer “scoop and score,” the 83-yard fumble return for a touchdown that made history in the College Football Playoff semifinal between Ohio State and Texas.

This book takes you through the journey that ultimately ends with the Buckeyes pulling off the most incredible run to win the college football championship in college football history.

“(Beating) Tennessee was really the turning point because they had a team meeting after the Michigan game,” Rabinowitz added. “(It) was a make-or-break meeting. They got everything off their chest. The team that left that meeting was a different team from the one that entered it.”

Day opens up about the Connor Stalions Michigan cheating scandal, something the head coach hasn’t really talked much about.

When asked about his motivation for writing the book, Rabinowitz told me, “Sports are about first downs and touchdowns, but they’re not. (It’s) about people and how they get to that point, how they endure inevitable hardship and adversity. I think it’s a fun read.”

Sounds like a must-read for Ohio State fans looking for a keepsake of an incredible story.

Sportswriter Bill Rabinowitz, author of Buckeye Brotherhood, will be interviewed by bucknuts.com creator Lee Schear at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 20 at the Boonshoft CJCE, 525 Versailles Dr., Centerville as part of the JCC Cultural Arts & Book Series. The program, which includes a kosher tailgate supper, is presented in partnership with Jewish Federation’s Men’s Philanthropy. $10. Register here.

To read the complete November 2025 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.