A stressful Tuesday night is coming to Columbus, and Ohio State fans will have more than one reason to keep an eye on the screen. The first College Football Playoff rankings arrive Tuesday, and where the Buckeyes land after Saturday’s 30-18 loss at USC will help define what comes next in a month that already feels loaded.
That defeat dropped Ohio State to 6-2 and made it the first time the Buckeyes have had two losses before November since 2011. Under Ryan Day, that puts the program in unusual territory.
The loss in Los Angeles came with a clear problem attached: Ohio State never fully rallied around freshman starting quarterback Luke Fahey. In a rain-soaked night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Buckeyes looked sloppy and out of sync, and that was enough to sink them.
The 2011 comparison is a messy one for Ohio State. That team was under interim coach Luke Fickell after Jim Tressel’s departure, finished 6-7 and became an easy season to set aside in the Buckeyes’ history. Fickell was simply the bridge to Urban Meyer, and the standard returned soon after.
The 2026 team is being asked to keep that standard alive.
Ohio State began the year ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, and the early stumble against Texas in Week 2 was the kind of setback the Buckeyes have usually shrugged off. Then came the win at Indiana on Oct. 17, a top-five result that looked like a response heading into the bye week.
But the bye didn’t bring a clean bill of health. Julian Sayin was injured late in that victory, and the Buckeyes were forced to adjust again. Even then, there was reason to think they could absorb the hit - Ohio State has won a national championship with a third-string quarterback before, in 2014.
Fahey gave them a chance against USC. From a play-calling standpoint, the offense did not look dramatically different without Sayin.
The issue was execution. The players Day challenged - the offensive linemen, receivers, tight ends, running backs and defenders - did not deliver.
Off a bye, Ohio State wasn’t sharp. In that sense, the USC loss carried echoes of 2024, when the Buckeyes dropped a game to Oregon in October and then returned from a week off without left tackle Josh Simmons. They had to grind through a close call against Nebraska in Columbus, then positioned themselves to do enough in November to earn a playoff spot.
This November won’t offer the same margin. Halloween may be over, but the pressure isn’t. Ohio State has no room to slip the way it did against Michigan last year.
If the Buckeyes handle what’s ahead, a postseason run is still there for the taking. If they don’t, the alternative is a bowl game with very little buzz.
In Other News...
Ohio State Just Got Troubling News Before USC's Passing Test
Ohio States secondary took a hit this week as Jay Timmons was downgraded from questionable to doubtful ahead of the matchup with USC. The Buckeyes have leaned on Timmons for several critical plays this season, and his status now casts a shadow over a defense that is already bracing for a major passing challenge.
If Timmons cannot go, Ohio State is expected to turn to Jermaine Matthews Jr. and Cam Calhoun to help fill the void. Against a Trojans offense that should test the back end early and often, the Buckeyes may have to adjust on the fly without one of their more reliable defensive backs. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Has A Tavien St. Clair Question Fans Feared
Tavien St. Clair was supposed to be part of Ohio States long-term answer at quarterback, but the picture has shifted in a hurry. With true freshman Luke Fahey stepping in for the injured Julian Sayin, St. Clair is now working as the backup, a development that has changed the conversation around the room and around his place in the program.
For a player once viewed as the future at the position, the move naturally raises bigger questions about what comes next. Ohio State still has time to sort through the quarterback depth chart, and there are several possible paths ahead, but nothing has been settled yet, leaving St. Clairs status one of the more intriguing storylines to watch. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Has A Bigger Problem Than One Road Loss
The loss at USC was jarring enough on its own, but the bigger concern for Ohio State may be what it revealed about the Buckeyes offense away from home. With backup quarterback Luke Fahey making the start in Los Angeles, Ohio State managed only one touchdown while USCs defense spent much of the night in the backfield, piling up tackles for loss and sacks and making every drive feel like a grind.
USC also delivered the kind of explosive play that can flip a marquee game in a hurry, with Mark Bowmans 70-yard catch-and-run helping the Trojans pull away in a 30-18 win over the No. 2 Buckeyes. For Lincoln Riley, it was his first top-five victory with USC, and for Ohio State it leaves a far more uncomfortable question than the final score: whether this was just a bad road night or a sign of a deeper issue the Buckeyes have to solve fast. [Read more 🡒]