1972 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

1972 Ohio State Buckeyes football
Big Ten co-champion
Rose Bowl, L 17–42 vs. USC
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 3
APNo. 9
Record9–2 (7–1 Big Ten)
Head coach
Defensive coordinatorGeorge Hill (2nd season)
MVPGeorge Hasenohrl
Captains
  • Richard Galbos
  • George Hasenohrl
Home stadiumOhio Stadium
1972 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 6 Michigan + 7 1 0 10 1 0
No. 9 Ohio State + 7 1 0 9 2 0
Purdue 6 2 0 6 5 0
Michigan State 5 2 1 5 5 1
Minnesota 4 4 0 4 7 0
Indiana 3 5 0 5 6 0
Illinois 3 5 0 3 8 0
Iowa 2 6 1 3 7 1
Wisconsin 2 6 0 4 7 0
Northwestern 1 8 0 2 9 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1972 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an represented the Ohio State University in the 1972 Big Ten Conference football season. Led by 22nd-year head coach Woody Hayes, the Buckeyes compiled an overall record of 9–2 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, sharing the Big Ten title with Michigan. By virtue of a head-to-head win over Michigan, Ohio State earned a berth in the Rose Bowl, where the Buckeyes lost to USC by a score of 42–17. The team played home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.