2026 Ohio State off-season Thread

[medinabuckeye1]

I didn't see one on @ELA 's handy-dandy off-season thread aggregator post so I'm making a new one but if I missed it, please merge.  Thank you. 

Schedule:
Ohio State doesn't have a "week zero" game (in the B1G only USC does) so each number here is the CFB week:

• September 5 vs Ball State on BTN at 12:30
• September 12 at #5 Texas on ABC at 7:30
• September 19 vs KentSt on Fox at noon
• September 26 vs Illinois time/tv TBD
• October 3 at #19 Iowa time/tv TBD
• October 10 vs Maryland time/tv TBD
• October 17 at #6 Indiana time/tv TBD
• October 24 off
• October 31 at #20 USC time/tv TBD
• November 7 vs #2 Oregon time/tv TBD
• November 14 vs Northwestern time/tv TBD
• November 21 at Nebraska time/tv TBD
• November 28 vs #14 Michigan on Fox at noon

The rankings above are from the Worldwide leader's preseason top-25 (because AP isn't out yet).  The B1G has:

• #1 Ohio State
• #2 Oregon
• #6 Indiana
• #14 Michigan
• #15 Penn State
• #17 Washington
• #19 Iowa
• #20 USC

Ohio State hosts #2 Oregon, travels to #6 Indiana, hosts #14 Michigan, misses #15 Penn State, misses #17 Washington, travels to #19 Iowa, and travels to #20 USC.  That is in addition to visiting Austin in Week 2.  According to Phil Steel this is the sixth toughest schedule in the country.  

From October 17 through November 7 the Buckeyes have three games in four weeks against teams reasonably likely to make the playoffs.  That is rough especially with two of the three on the road and one of those road games being a distant west-coast road game. 

IMHO, the B1G scheduling gods did the Buckeyes one favor but then threw some tough ones at them.  The off week between what look to be challenging road trips to Bloomington on October 17 and SoCal on October 31 *should* be helpful.  I'm not a fan of having what could be an epic showdown with Oregon the week after what is likely to be a difficult road game on the West Coast against the Trojans. 

I also wish the NU and UNL games were swapped.  I'd rather have NU as a tune-up for Michigan.  Instead, I see Nebraska as a potential trap game because I see the Cornhuskers as good enough to potentially trip up the Buckeyes especially in Lincoln and if the Buckeyes are looking ahead. 

[847badgerfan]

It is now linked in the offseason links thread.

[medinabuckeye1]

One of the sad things about Conference Expansion, IMHO, is losing every-year rivalries.  Ohio State is losing one this year.  

The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions played eight times before PSU joined the Big11Ten for the 1993 season.  Penn State enjoyed a 6-2 advantage in those eight games from 1912 through 1980:

• Penn State won 37-0 in Columbus on November 16, 1912 (this was also before Ohio State joined the league)
• Penn State won 7-6 in Columbus on October 20, 1956
• Penn State won 10-7 in Columbus on November 9, 1963
• Penn State won 27-0 in Columbus on November 7, 1964
• Ohio State won 17-9 in Columbus on September 20, 1975
• Ohio State won 12-7 in State College on September 18, 1976
• Penn State won 19-0 in Columbus on September 16, 1978
• Penn State won 31-19 in the Fiesta Bowl on December 26, 1980

Then the Buckeyes played every year for Penn State's first 33 years in the league with Ohio State enjoying a 25-8 advantage from 1993-2025.  This season (2026) is the first since 1992 that Ohio State and Penn State are not scheduled to play each other.