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.  

[medinabuckeye1]

History of Preseason #1:
In the last 25 seasons (2001-2025) only USC in 2004 went coast-to-coast at #1.  Alabama in 2017 is the only other preseason #1 to win the NC in the last 25 seasons but they had a brief detour to #5 then #4 after losing the Iron Bowl to Auburn.  

You might look at that and think the voters don't have a clue but I would disagree.  Over the last 25 seasons the preseason #1 finished ranked 24 times.  Only USC in 2012 started #1 and finished unranked and even they weren't that bad:
2012 USC Preseason #1:

• Dropped to #2 when #2 Bama throttled #8 Michigan and jumped USC.  
• Dropped to #13 after a loss at #21 Stanford but Stanford finished 12-2 and #7.  
• Climbed back to #10 after 4-straight wins over mediocre and bad teams.  
• Dropped to #18 after a loss to NR Arizona but Arizona wasn't terrible they finished 8-5.
• Dropped to #21 after a home loss to #2 Oregon.  Oregon finished 12-1 and #2.  
• Dropped out after a loss at #17 UCLA.  UCLA finished 9-5 and unranked but getting votes.  
• Stayed out after a home loss to #1 Notre Dame.  Notre Dame finished 12-1 and #4.  
• Stopped getting votes after a Sun Bowl loss to nr GaTech.  GaTech wasn't good but I see this as one of those things where the game was a MUCH bigger deal to Tech than it was to a team that started with NC aspirations.  

The worst finishes for a preseason #1 over the past 25 years are:

• 2012 USC finished 7-6 and unranked (no votes) see above.  
• 2011 Oklahoma finished 10-3 and #16.  
• 2008 Georgia finished 10-3 and #13.  
• 2025 Texas finished 10-3 and #12.  
• 2010 Alabama finished 10-3 and #10.  

The other 20 all finished in the top-7.  

Last 25 Preseason #1 teams:

• #1 best (2017 Bama, 2004 USC)
• nr worst (2012 USC)
• 5.07 average
• 4 median

Looked at the other way around, the last 25 teams to finish #1:

• #1 best (2017 Bama, 2004 USC).  
• #22 worst (2010 Auburn)
• 5.44 average
• 3 median

The average here is really dragged down by a few outliers.  The teams ranked lowest in the preseason to win the NC over the last 25 years are:

• #22 Auburn in 2010
• #20 Indiana in 2025
• #13 Ohio State in 2002
• #11 Florida State in 2013

The other 21 were all preseason top-8.  

[medinabuckeye1]

This is Ohio State's 9th time as preseason #1.  
In those eight seasons they finished:

• #2 (2006, 1998
• #4 (2015, 1969)
• #5 (1970)
• #8 (1958)
• #15 (1980)
• unranked (1962 - but note that only 10 teams were ranked)

Here is how the previous eight went:
2015:

• #1 for the first 10 polls.  
• Dropped to #2 on 11/8/2015 not because of a loss but because #3 Clemson beat #17 FSU and jumped the Buckeyes.  
• Stayed at #2 for two weeks.  
• Lost 17-14 at home to #9 MSU and dropped to #8.  
• Won big at #12 Michigan and climbed to #6.  
• Fell a spot CG week due to inactivity.  
• Decisively beat #8 Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl and finished 12-1 and #4.  

2006:

• #1 for the first 15 polls.  
• Got throttled by #2 Florida in the FiestaBowl/BCSNCG and finished 12-1 and #2.  

1998:

• #1 for the first 10 polls.  
• Dropped to #7 after losing at home to a mediocre MSU team coached by some guy named Nick Saban.  
• Stayed at #7 for two weeks.   
• Climbed to #5 in the 11/23 poll after a big win over #11 Michigan.  
• Climbed to #3 in the pre-bowl poll after #2 KSU lost the B12CG and #3 UCLA lost their cross-town rivalry.  
• Beat #8 aTm in the Sugar Bowl and finished 11-1 and #2.  

1980:

• #1 for the first two polls.  
• Dropped to #2 after a rather unimpressive home win over Syracuse.  
• Stayed #2 for three polls.  
• Dropped to #9 after a shutout home loss to #11 UCLA.  
• Stayed #9 for two polls.  
• Dropped to #10 after a rather unimpressive home win over Indiana.  
• Climbed to 9 then 7 for two weeks, then #5 as the win-streak hit 6 albeit all six were over mediocre and bad teams.  
• Dropped to #11 after a 9-3 home loss to #10 Michigan.  
• Stayed #11 for three polls.  
• Dropped to #15 after a Fiesta Bowl loss to #10 Penn State.  Finished 9-3 and #15.  

1970:

• #1 for the first seven polls.  
• Dropped to #2 on 10/26 because previous #2 Texas was also undefeated and had looked more impressive.  
• Dropped to #3 on 11/2 after a 24-10 home win over a mediocre Northwestern team.  
• Dropped to #5 on 11/16 after a 10-7 road win over a bad Purdue team.  
• Climbed to #2 on 11/23 after a 20-9 home win over #4 Michigan.  
• Dropped to #5 after a 27-17 Rose Bowl loss to #12 Stanford.  This was effectively for the NC because #1 Texas lost the Cotton Bowl to #6 Notre Dame.  

1969:

• #1 for the first 10 polls.  
• Dropped to #4 after a 24-12 loss at #12 Michigan.  
• #4 in the last four polls.  Finished 8-1 and #4.  

1962:

• #1 for one poll.  
• Dropped to #2 without playing because previous #2 Bama throttled Georgia and jumped the Buckeyes.  
• Climbed to #1 after beating the tar out of the Tar Heels.  
• Dropped to #10 after losing at nr UCLA.  
• Climbed to #6 after throttling Illinois.  
• Dropped out after losing 18-14 to Northwestern at home.  
• Finished 6-3 and unranked with no votes but note that the poll was only 10 teams in 1962.  

1958:

• #1 for two polls.  
• Dropped to #3 after an unimpressive home win over SMU.  
• Dropped to #5 after an unimpressive home win over Washington.  
• Climbed to #3 then #2 after wins over mediocre Illinois and Indiana teams.  
• Dropped to #5 after a tie at home with #13 Wisconsin.  
• Dropped to #16 after getting throttled at #11 Northwestern.  
• Stayed #16 after a tie at home with #8 Purdue.  
• Climbed to #11 after beating #2 Iowa in Iowa City.  
• Climbed to #9 after beating a bad Michigan team 20-14.  
• Climbed to #8 when #7 TCU lost at SMU.  Finished 6-1-2 and #8.  

[FearlessF]

1970 worked out for the Huskers

started the season #9
moved to #8 after a 21-21 tie with #3 USC
moved to #6 after a 28-0 win over Army
moved to #5 after a 21-7 win over #16 Mizzou
moved to #4 after a 41-20 win over Kansas
moved to #3 after a 51-13 win over #20 Kansas St.
moved to #1 after 17-12 Orange bowl victory over #5 LSU

[medinabuckeye1]

1970 worked out for the Huskers

started the season #9
moved to #8 after a 21-21 tie with #3 USC
moved to #6 after a 28-0 win over Army
moved to #5 after a 21-7 win over #16 Mizzou
moved to #4 after a 41-20 win over Kansas
moved to #3 after a 51-13 win over #20 Kansas St.
moved to #1 after 17-12 Orange bowl victory over #5 LSU

One of those crazy endings from back in the pre-BCS days where a slew of teams had at least a plausible chance heading into the bowls.  Here was the pre-bowl poll and who they were playing:

• 10-0 Texas vs #6 Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl
• 9-0 Ohio State vs #12 Stanford in the Rose Bowl
• 10-0-1 Nebraska vs #5 LSU in the Orange Bowl
• 10-1 Tennessee vs #11 Air Force in the Sugar Bowl
• 9-2 LSU vs #3 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl
• 9-1 Notre Dame vs #1 Texas in the Cotton Bowl
• 9-1 Michigan no bowl due to the Big Ten's Rose Bowl or bust rule.  
• 10-0 Arizona State vs nr UNC in the Peach Bowl

The only other undefeated and one-loss teams were #14 9-0 Dartmouth from the Ivy and #15 10-0 Toledo from the MAC.  Realistically Michigan and ASU had no shot because Michigan wasn't jumping without playing and ASU wasn't jumping up that far without playing someone ahead of them.  So my take:

• Texas just needed to win but style points could have been relevant if Ohio State just pummeled Stanford.  As it turned out they just needed to win.  
• Ohio State needed a win and to root for ND over #1 Texas.  
• Nebraska needed a win and to root for ND over #1 Texas and Stanford over #2 Ohio State.  They got those things.  
• Tennessee needed a win and to root for ND over #1 Texas, Stanford over #2 Ohio State, and LSU over #3 Nebraska.  They got three out of four.  
• LSU was probably hopeless but in theory with a BIG win and losses by Texas, Ohio State, and Tennessee they might have snuck in.  
• Notre Dame needed a win and to root for Stanford over #2 Ohio State and LSU over #3 Nebraska.  In that case I think that the 10-1 Irish would have leapfrogged the two SEC teams (LSU, TN) along with bowl losers Texas, Ohio State, and Nebraska.  

[FearlessF]

didn't have a playoff and more than a couple teams had a chance

good old days