- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,263,507
- Reaction score
- 59
There is no hiding the fact that Ohio State enters the 2026 with one of the most difficult schedules in the country, if not the hardest. Following a disappointing end to 2025, Ryan Day is leaning into the lessons he learned in order to watch the Buckeyes play late into January.
But, there's no big picture thinking coming from Ohio State despite the expectations entering fall camp. There's no doubt that Ohio State has championship aspirations, but the only way it can be done is focusing on one game at a time, especially with so many potential speed bumps along the way.
Six opponents on Ohio State's schedule are ranked inside the top-25 of the ESPN FPI ratings and four of five road games are against preseason top-25 teams. So what could be the defining stretch of the season and which team will pose the greatest challenge to the Buckeyes?
"Oct. 31 at USC," ESPN analyst Heather Dinich wrote. "Yes, the Week 2 game at Texas will garner more national attention, but the trip to L.A. on Halloween -- after facing defending national champ Indiana on the road -- will probably be the most difficult task of the season. The Buckeyes will have a bye week to prepare for it, while USC will be coming home from a trip to Wisconsin."
That game against USC comes in week nine and is sandwiched between a trip to Indiana and a home game against Oregon -- one of the most grueling stretches of the season for any program around the country.
USC is coming off of a 9-4 season in 2025 and a bowl loss to TCU. The Trojans, however, enter this season with expectations to be a College Football Playoff team and return quarterback Jayden Maiava, who is a projected high NFL draft pick in 2027. Lincoln Riley believes his group is ahead of schedule coming out of the summer and into fall camp -- will that message remain throughout the first half of the season?
Ohio State will have been tested at Texas, vs Illinois, at Iowa and at Indiana before facing USC. The Trojans on the other hand have its two most difficult games up to that point at home; Oregon and Washington. They will be coming off back-to-back trips on the road to Penn State and Wisconsin, however.
This game could be the turning point for Ohio State regardless of what happens in the first half of the year. An early season slip up could be salvaged by a road victory in Los Angeles.
"The Buckeyes need to find ways to win on the road," Dinich said. "Because that's where their best chances are to impress the committee."
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Surprise game for Ohio State ranked toughest test by ESPN analyst
Continue reading...
But, there's no big picture thinking coming from Ohio State despite the expectations entering fall camp. There's no doubt that Ohio State has championship aspirations, but the only way it can be done is focusing on one game at a time, especially with so many potential speed bumps along the way.
Six opponents on Ohio State's schedule are ranked inside the top-25 of the ESPN FPI ratings and four of five road games are against preseason top-25 teams. So what could be the defining stretch of the season and which team will pose the greatest challenge to the Buckeyes?
"Oct. 31 at USC," ESPN analyst Heather Dinich wrote. "Yes, the Week 2 game at Texas will garner more national attention, but the trip to L.A. on Halloween -- after facing defending national champ Indiana on the road -- will probably be the most difficult task of the season. The Buckeyes will have a bye week to prepare for it, while USC will be coming home from a trip to Wisconsin."
That game against USC comes in week nine and is sandwiched between a trip to Indiana and a home game against Oregon -- one of the most grueling stretches of the season for any program around the country.
USC is coming off of a 9-4 season in 2025 and a bowl loss to TCU. The Trojans, however, enter this season with expectations to be a College Football Playoff team and return quarterback Jayden Maiava, who is a projected high NFL draft pick in 2027. Lincoln Riley believes his group is ahead of schedule coming out of the summer and into fall camp -- will that message remain throughout the first half of the season?
Ohio State will have been tested at Texas, vs Illinois, at Iowa and at Indiana before facing USC. The Trojans on the other hand have its two most difficult games up to that point at home; Oregon and Washington. They will be coming off back-to-back trips on the road to Penn State and Wisconsin, however.
This game could be the turning point for Ohio State regardless of what happens in the first half of the year. An early season slip up could be salvaged by a road victory in Los Angeles.
"The Buckeyes need to find ways to win on the road," Dinich said. "Because that's where their best chances are to impress the committee."
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Surprise game for Ohio State ranked toughest test by ESPN analyst
Continue reading...
