We put the Buckeyes as the #1 thing about Columbus not because the school itself is the thing, but rather what a massive, influential school like Ohio State brings to a city. It directly and indirectly makes Columbus younger, more tech-centric, more LGBT friendly, more culturally diverse, and more economically sound for jobs, real estate, and gives the population more overall confidence than other Ohio or other midwestern cities (apologies to Ann Arbor).
Review of what's cool about living in Columbus:
I am originally from here but lived in LA for a couple years. For me, the best thing about moving back was just how easy it is to do things here, unless you have lived in a big city that can be hard to appreciate, but in Columbus you can get to anywhere in the city from anywhere else within 30 mins, you can drive, park (usually for free 😮) and just walk in with pretty much no inconvenience. In addition to the cost of living, that was kind of the best. In response to the other person's comment about the people, I didn't really find them too different from one another, but Columbus has a lot less cultural diversity than CA overall - not to say there is none, but in CA cities the diversity is much more prominent.
If you're interested in hearing from other locals check out: The Reviews.