Ohio State’s preseason profile took a hit when the AP Poll came out, and the Buckeyes were left on the outside looking in.
Despite bringing in more young talent than they’ve had at any point in the Jake Diebler era, Ohio State did not crack the preseason top 25. The Buckeyes landed in the “others receiving votes” group, which put them around 29th. Purdue was the only Big Ten team ahead of them in that category, and Ohio State was one of five league programs to miss the poll entirely.
Illinois, Michigan State, TTUN, USC, and UCLA were the Big Ten teams that made the cut. The Buckeyes also were slotted to finish eighth in the conference in the Big Ten media poll.
That ranking comes with a different-looking roster than the one Ohio State rolled out last season. The Buckeyes reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years, but the run ended fast with a first-round loss to TCU.
It was a frustrating finish to the Bruce Thornton era, and now the team moves on without its most reliable scorer. Devin Royal is gone too.
The offense will have a different cast this time around. Juni Mobley is back, and freshmen Anthony Thompson and LJ Smith will get their chances to make an impact right away. Diebler also has two five-star freshmen joining the mix, giving the roster a much younger feel.
The biggest question mark sits in the middle. Center production is still uncertain, and Ivan Njegovan is expected to start even though he hasn’t shown much growth over the past few seasons. That spot looks like a problem Ohio State will have to live with throughout the year.
Diebler has been given the tools to recruit high-end talent, and Ross Bjork has backed him with the resources needed to do it. With that kind of support, the expectation is no longer just to return to the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State should be in the field every year, and the bar now includes making some noise once it gets there.
No one is asking for a Final Four run every season, but there’s also little reason the Buckeyes should be waiting years between Sweet 16 trips. A deeper March run should be on the table with this setup, and Diebler understood that when he took over.
There’s still a clear sense that the program is heading in the right direction under Diebler. The next step is showing real progress that gets the fan base engaged again. For a program that hasn’t given its supporters much to celebrate in March lately, that matters.
Ohio State opens with a quick measuring stick, facing 25th-ranked BYU on November 2 at a neutral site. It’s an early chance to find out how far this young Buckeye team can go.
In Other News...
Ohio State Now Faces A Huge Offensive Reset After Indiana
Ohio State left Bloomington with a 19-15 win that snapped Indianas 22-game home unbeaten streak, but the bigger takeaway for the Buckeyes was what happened to Julian Sayin. The quarterback left with an injury and is expected to miss several weeks, which immediately shifts the focus from a gritty road result to how Ohio State manages the offense moving forward.
Luke Fahey is set to start in Sayins place, giving the Buckeyes a fresh look at the games most important position at a critical point in the season. Even with the offense now in flux, Ohio State can point to its defense and special teams as stabilizing forces after the trip to Indiana, but the real question is how quickly the next quarterback can settle in and keep the whole operation on track. [Read more 🡒]
Carnell Tate Is Finally Giving Ohio State Fans A Reason To Watch
Carnell Tate is starting to give Ohio State fans a fresh reason to keep one eye on the NFL scoreboard. The former Buckeyes receiver put together a notable showing for the Tennessee Titans in their first win against the Indianapolis Colts, finishing with six catches for 70 yards and his first NFL touchdown. It was the kind of performance that reminded everyone why he was such an intriguing pro prospect in the first place.
Tate has already shown the range of what his rookie season could look like, following a strong outing against the Baltimore Ravens with a quieter game against the Houston Texans. Even so, he remains near the top of the early award conversation, with Kalshi listing him second in the odds for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. For Ohio State, it is the kind of development worth tracking closely, even if the full answer to just how high his ceiling really is still has time to unfold. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States New Quarterback Just Took An Unexpected Path Here
Luke Fahey arrived in Columbus with the profile of a developmental quarterback, a three-star freshman from California who was expected to work his way in behind the veterans. Instead, the Mission Viejo product has moved himself into the conversation far sooner than anyone likely planned, turning a quiet August into a meaningful opportunity for a player who piled up more than 7,000 passing yards in high school and committed to Ohio State in 2025.
What has stood out inside the program is how quickly Fahey climbed during preseason camp, enough to earn the trust of teammates and coaches and force his way up the depth chart. For Ohio State, the bigger picture now is less about where he started and more about how ready he looks in the moment, with a freshman who was once viewed as a depth piece suddenly carrying real weight in the quarterback room. [Read more 🡒]