Joey KaufmanColumbus Dispatch
Expectations are high at Ohio State.
Between a reloaded roster and an upgraded coaching staff with the hiring of Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator, the Buckeyes are among the favorites to win a national championship this year.
In the major preseason polls released earlier this month, only Georgia was ranked higher.
As the Buckeyes navigate the regular season in pursuit of a title, which roadblocks could derail them? Below is a ranking of the toughest games on Ohio State’s schedule.
12. Aug. 31 vs. Akron
Joe Moorhead remains one of the bright offensive minds in college football, an early adopter of the run-pass option while at Fordham a decade ago, but he’s overseen a slow rebuild at Akron. In each of his first two seasons at the helm, the Zips finished 2-10. There are few signs of optimism ahead of this fall. Akron was picked to finish second to last in the Mid-American Conference in the league’s preseason poll. The Buckeyes cruised to a 59-7 win during the Zips’ last visit in 2021, and the score figures to be just as lopsided this Labor Day weekend.
11. Sept. 7 vs. Western Michigan
Among the two MAC schools playing in Columbus to open the season, Western Michigan appears in better shape. Not by much, though. The Broncos finished 4-8 last fall in their first year under the direction of Lance Taylor, previously the offensive coordinator at Louisville and running backs coach at Notre Dame. But they do have a returning 1,000-yard rusher with Jalen Buckley, the conference’s freshman of the year, and a defense in which all of their projected starters are juniors and seniors, potentially making Week 2 a little more competitive for Ohio State.
10. Sept. 21 vs. Marshall
The Thundering Herd are transitioning to an Air Raid offense, the pass-heavy scheme popularized by the late Mike Leach, with the hiring of Seth Doege as offensive coordinator. Doege, most recently the tight ends coach at Purdue, was once a prolific passer for Leach at Texas Tech. But it’ll need to be a quick fix if it’s to pose any problems for the Buckeyes. Marshall ranked in the bottom third of the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring offense during a .500 season in 2023, averaging just over three touchdowns per game.
9. Nov. 9 vs. Purdue
The location lowers the threat level. If the Boilermakers have caused any trouble for Ohio State, it’s been in West Lafayette, Indiana. The Buckeyes have won the past 10 meetings between the teams in Columbus by an average margin of 20.9 points. The last win by Purdue at the Horseshoe was during John Cooper’s first season in 1988. With most Big Ten preseason polls, including one from the USA TODAY Sports Network, projecting Purdue to finish last in the conference, there’s little to suggest recent history to change.
8. Nov. 23 vs. Indiana
The placement on the schedule, a week before a climactic clash with archrival Michigan to end the regular season, makes this a little more intriguing. Could the Buckeyes be caught looking ahead? Factor in the brash Curt Cignetti too. Cignetti rose from Division II to the FBS, reaching Indiana last winter. In an offseason, he overhauled the Hoosiers’ roster, bringing in more than a dozen transfers with him from James Madison and assuring a little familiarity than usual for a program adjusting to a new coach.
7. Nov. 16 at Northwestern
Playing near Lake Michigan in November invites the possibility for dicey weather. That was the case during the Buckeyes’ last visit in 2022, when wind gusts surpassed 40 mph and resulted in a sluggish afternoon. This matchup is farther down Chicago’s lakeshore, set to be held at Wrigley Field as Ryan Field is rebuilt. While the historic Major League Baseball ballpark promises to make a unique atmosphere, the configuration is also likely to add some variables for the visitors.
6. Sept. 28 at Michigan State
When Jonathan Smith left Oregon State for Michigan State, he brought three players with him. The small handful paled in comparison to the mass that followed Cignetti from James Madison to Indiana, but the transfers are in line to make an immediate impact as starters, especially Aidan Chiles, a promising dual-threat quarterback from Long Beach, California. A particular challenge for the Buckeyes will be that the trip to East Lansing will mark their first game away from Ohio Stadium and against a power conference opponent.
5. Oct. 26 vs. Nebraska
It’s not too far-fetched to envision a scenario in which the Cornhuskers are 7-0 when they visit Columbus. Only one of their first seven opponents was bowl eligible last year. Of course, Nebraska must also improve in its own right, though there were encouraging signs in its first season under the direction of Matt Rhule, starting 5-3 before a winless November kept it from reaching its first bowl game since 2016. The wild card is Dylan Raiola, a true freshman who was one of the highest-ranked quarterbacks in the nation in the last recruiting cycle. How steep will the learning curve be for Raiola, who should start from the onset?
4. Oct. 5 vs. Iowa
Brian Ferentz, the son of longtime coach Kirk Ferentz, is no longer the Hawkeyes’ offensive coordinator, replaced by former Western Michigan coach Tim Lester, a staff change that is expected to reignite the side of the ball that has limited one of the more consistent programs in the Big Ten. While Iowa ranked in the top-10 in the FBS in total defense the last two seasons, it was last in total offense in 2023 and second to last in 2022. The stylistic profile of the Hawkeyes is unlikely to change with Lester. Expect ball control. But if they can be a little more dynamic, it would better complement their disciplined defense. This is the first major test on Ohio State’s schedule.
3. Nov. 2 at Penn State
There’s an argument to be made that Penn State poses a tougher challenge than Michigan. Among the former East Division foes, the Nittany Lions have undergone less staff and roster turnover and do not have an NCAA cloud hanging over the program as the Wolverines head into the fall continuing to brace for potential penalties related to their sign-stealing scandal. There’s hope too that Andy Kotelnicki, a new offensive coordinator, can squeeze more out of Drew Allar’s cannon arm. But for all the uncertainty in Ann Arbor, one thing is clear about Penn State. In matchups of conference heavyweights, it rarely prevails. Since arriving in Happy Valley a decade ago, James Franklin has gone 4-16 against Michigan and Ohio State. The last time the Buckeyes were tripped up by Penn State was in 2016.
2. Nov. 30 vs. Michigan
Ohio State is looking to avoid the prospect of a fourth straight loss to Michigan, a dismal streak it last suffered when Cooper began his tenure with four consecutive defeats to the Wolverines from 1988-91. That’s what’s at stake in the 120th edition of The Game, a chance on Thanksgiving weekend for the Buckeyes to reverse the trend. The annual affair might have less bearing on winning the conference championship or reaching the College Football Playoff, but the magnitude of the rivalry has not faded. It holds no less importance among the Buckeyes’ fans, heightening the pressure for Ryan Day's staff and players. For all the questions about Sherrone Moore succeeding Jim Harbaugh at the helm of the program, Alex Orji’s passing or the sheer number of departures to the NFL, the Wolverines loom large.
1. Oct. 12 at Oregon
The Ducks profile as the most well-rounded team on the Buckeyes’ schedule. They have experience at quarterback with Dillon Gabriel, a leading Heisman Trophy candidate, having transferred from Oklahoma. There are playmakers surrounding him, a group led by star receivers Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart. And there is strength in the trenches. It’s made Oregon, one of the four former Pac-12 schools joining the Big Ten this year, perhaps the biggest threat to Ohio State’s hopes of returning to the top of the conference for the first time since 2020. Autzen Stadium factors as well. Though the 54,000-seat venue is little more than half the capacity of some of the league’s largest stadiums in the league, it’s considered one of the loudest in the sport, forming a hostile atmosphere that awaits Ohio State in Week 7.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @joeyrkaufman or email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com.
