For much of this season, Ohio State has lived with questions about whether it still had the gear of a true national title contender. Saturday’s win over Maryland answered plenty of them. For one game, the Buckeyes looked like the version of themselves that can run with anybody in the country.
What stood out first was the ground game. Bo Jackson and the offensive line finally seemed to click, and the result was the first time an Ohio State running back topped 100 rushing yards in a game this season. That mattered because it opened up an offense that was already sitting inside the top 10 nationally and gave the Buckeyes the kind of balance that changes everything.
The defense did its part, too. Ohio State held Maryland to 146 total yards and just 2.8 yards per play, a performance that suggested the Buckeyes may be moving in the right direction on that side of the ball as well. If that level of disruption shows up again, the rest of the sport has a real problem on its hands.
And as dangerous as the run game and defense looked, Ohio State already had plenty going for it. Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith remain too much to ignore, especially with both in the Heisman conversation. That pairing gives the Buckeyes a star power that makes it difficult for defenses to feel comfortable, no matter how they try to attack Smith.
Injuries were part of the story against Maryland, but Ohio State found answers. The Buckeyes were without Brandon Inniss, and Henry - despite finishing with only one catch - still managed to make a major impact. That kind of next-man-up production only adds to the sense that this roster has more layers than it has been given credit for.
Now comes the next test. Ohio State heads to Indiana for a top-five showdown in the AP Poll, and that trip will say even more about where this team stands.
The Maryland win already pushed the Buckeyes back into the national championship conversation. Beating Indiana would make the message even louder.
There had been plenty of skepticism about whether Ohio State had slipped in 2026. Saturday’s performance turned that talk around in a hurry.
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Ohio State Enters Brutal Stretch With One Worry Fans Cant Ignore
Rainy conditions and a depleted lineup did little to slow Ohio State in its 45-16 win over Maryland, a result that kept the Buckeyes moving forward even as the injury and illness list trimmed key pieces from the rotation. Several starters were out, including multiple offensive linemen and wide receivers, but the group that did suit up handled the circumstances well enough to leave Saturday with a comfortable conference win.
Indiana now looms as the next test, and the Buckeyes are still projecting confidence heading into that matchup. The concern for fans is hard to miss, though: Ohio State is entering a demanding stretch while still waiting to get healthier up front and back on the perimeter, and that makes the coming days worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Got A New Ranking Test Before Indiana
Georgias win over Alabama shook up the top of both major college football polls, and Ohio State came out of the weekend a little higher in the conversation as a result. The Buckeyes climbed to No. 4 in the AP Poll and No. 5 in the Coaches Poll, keeping them firmly in the national title mix while the rest of the Top 5 continued to shuffle around them.
The new placement only adds more weight to what is coming next, because Ohio State is headed toward a Top-5 matchup with Indiana. With the rankings tightening and the stakes rising, the Buckeyes now have an even clearer read on where they stand, and a bigger test waiting to show whether this bump in the polls matches the on-field reality. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Turned Up The Heat On Two Committed 2027 Targets
A recent visit tied to Ohio States game against Maryland doubled as another reminder that the Buckeyes are already digging deep into the 2027 class. The program extended football scholarship offers to linebacker James Conrad and running back Kingston Allen, giving both prospects a fresh point of contact with one of the sports standard-bearers and putting two committed players on the radar in a very real way.
Conrad, who had been pledged to Buffalo, landed his first Power 4 offer from Ohio State, while Allen arrived in Columbus as a Wisconsin commit and left with an offer of his own. Both are regarded as highly ranked prospects with strong high school rsums, and the Buckeyes have clearly decided theyre worth pushing on early even with their current commitments elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]