Ohio State gets a quick chance to reset after the USC loss, and the stage could hardly be bigger. On Saturday, the Buckeyes return home to face Oregon, a team that’s also trying to straighten things out. It’s a matchup between what looks like the two most talented rosters in the Big Ten, and for Ohio State, the margin for error is shrinking fast.
That’s the part that makes this one feel so loaded. If the College Football Playoff field were set using the first rankings release, Ohio State would be on the outside looking in at No.
- Boise State, the top-ranked Group of Six team, would claim that final spot instead.
So even before kickoff, this game carries real weight for the Buckeyes’ playoff path.
Oddsmakers are giving Ohio State a stronger hand than some might expect. BetMGM listed the Buckeyes as a significant favorite heading into the week, with odds updated as of Nov. 2.
Phil Harrison’s pick leans toward a close Ohio State win, with the Buckeyes taking it 27-23. The reasoning is pretty straightforward: the offense still won’t be fully settled with freshman Luke Fahey at quarterback, but Ohio State can still find enough production through deep shots to Jeremiah Smith and a running game that’s solid, if not dominant. Oregon will land some punches of its own, but Harrison sees Ohio State doing enough across the board to answer the USC setback and stay on track for a Big Ten title and a College Football Playoff berth.
Ohio State’s path to this point has already included some big swings. The Buckeyes opened with a 56-3 win over Ball State on Sept. 5, then dropped a 24-23 game at Texas on Sept.
- They rolled past Kent State 59-3 on Sept. 19, beat Illinois 42-19 on Sept. 26, handled Iowa 31-14 on Oct. 3, beat Maryland 45-16 on Oct. 10, and survived Indiana 19-15 on Oct.
- After an off week on Oct. 24, they fell 30-18 at USC on Oct.
The next stretch is just as demanding. Ohio State visits Oregon on Nov. 7 at 3:30 p.m.
ET on CBS, then returns home to play Northwestern on Nov. 14 at noon ET on FOX. The Buckeyes go to Nebraska on Nov. 21, with kickoff time still to be determined, before closing the regular season against Michigan on Nov. 28 at noon ET on FOX.
In Other News...
Ohio States CFP Ranking Just Reignited A Frustrating Committee Debate
The first College Football Playoff rankings of 2026 immediately stirred up the kind of familiar arguments that seem to arrive every November, and Ohio State fans know the drill well enough by now. Miami landed at No. 1, followed by Georgia, Utah, Indiana and Alabama, but the order raised fresh questions about how the committee is weighing head-to-head results, strength of schedule and the value of unbeaten records in a crowded field.
Hunter Yurachek tried to walk through the committees thinking, but the explanations only sharpened the debate around several placements, especially UCLA sitting behind teams with losses and Utah climbing so high with just one ranked win. For Ohio State, the broader concern is less about one specific slot than the same old uncertainty about what the rankings are really rewarding, and whether the committees logic will hold once the bracket starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Has A Legit CFP Ranking Complaint After First Bracket
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2026 season immediately stirred the usual arguments, with Alabama landing in the top five despite a mixed record against ranked opponents and Notre Dame showing up lower than it did in the AP poll. The committee also drew attention for the way it handled strength of schedule, a familiar flashpoint this time of year, and it did not take long for the Buckeyes to have a reason to feel slighted.
Hunter Yurachek said the committee did not consider Ohio States head-to-head win over Indiana when it made its first bracket. For a program that has spent the early part of the season trying to stack rsum points against quality competition, that omission stands out, especially when the rankings are already inviting scrutiny elsewhere. Ohio State may not love the opening picture, and this is the kind of detail that tends to linger until the committee explains itself a little more fully. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Explains Tense Ohio State Exchange After USC Statement Win
USCs 30-18 win over Ohio State ended with a little more edge than the scoreboard alone suggested, as Trojans coach Lincoln Riley and Buckeyes athletic director Ross Bjork had a brief verbal exchange on the field afterward. Riley was asked about it later and downplayed the moment, saying it was simply part of the emotions that spill over after a game like that and that the two moved past it quickly.
For Ohio State, the exchange was a small postgame footnote to an outcome that already stung, but it still drew attention because it happened in plain view after a high-profile nonconference matchup. Riley did not get into what started it, leaving the specifics out of reach even as he tried to brush off any bigger meaning from the scene. [Read more 🡒]