As soon as Indiana wrapped up its first-ever national championship in football, the focus shifted to next season - and the odds makers wasted no time. The early favorite to win the 2026 national title? The Ohio State Buckeyes.
At first glance, that might raise some eyebrows. After all, Ohio State’s 2025 season didn’t exactly end on a high note, and the roster has taken some hits during the transfer portal cycle.
So why are the Buckeyes sitting atop the futures boards? Let’s dig into it.
Why the Early Hype Around Ohio State?
There’s no denying the talent in Columbus. Offensively, Ohio State is loaded.
Quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith are both legitimate Heisman contenders. Running back Bo Jackson - not that Bo Jackson, but a freshman standout in his own right - is poised to build on a breakout year.
And historically, the Buckeyes have been a top-10 fixture no matter the circumstances.
But as we’ve seen time and time again, preseason projections don’t always pan out. Just last year, Penn State, Clemson, and LSU were all ranked inside the top 10 before the season started.
By the end of the year, they’d combined for a 21-18 record - and both Penn State and LSU had fired their head coaches mid-season. Texas was penciled into the playoff, and Arch Manning was already being fitted for a Heisman jacket.
Things didn’t quite go that way.
So yes, Ohio State has the firepower. But there are real reasons to be cautious about crowning them this early.
A Gauntlet of a Schedule
Let’s start with the schedule - and it’s a beast.
Ohio State’s 2026 slate is one of the toughest in the country. They’ll head to Austin on September 12 to face a Texas team that will be hungry for revenge. A month later, they travel to Bloomington to take on the reigning national champs, Indiana.
And that’s just the beginning.
The Buckeyes also have road trips to Iowa, Nebraska, and USC - none of which are easy places to play, especially in the heart of Big Ten season. At home, they’ll host Oregon, Illinois, and of course, the annual showdown with Michigan. That’s eight games right there that could go either way depending on injuries, weather, or just the bounce of the football.
In the first two years of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, no team with three regular-season losses has made the cut. Alabama made it this year with three total losses, but only two came in the regular season. That means if Ohio State drops two games before December, they’ll be walking a tightrope the rest of the way.
Offensive Coordinator Still TBD
Another big question mark: who’s calling plays?
As of now, Ohio State hasn’t named an offensive coordinator. That’s a significant vacancy this late in the calendar.
Head coach Ryan Day could be eyeing someone from the NFL ranks - similar to how he brought in Matt Patricia to run the defense last year. But with several NFL head coaching jobs still open, the hiring process could drag on.
Day has options. He could go after a proven name like Brian Daboll or another NFL-caliber mind.
That would bring instant credibility and likely some schematic innovation. But if he opts to promote from within - someone like Keenan Bailey - there’s a risk that Day might feel the need to step back into the play-calling role at the first sign of trouble.
That’s a scenario Ohio State fans have seen before. Day was a brilliant play-caller early in his tenure, but as the program has grown, so have the responsibilities. The Buckeyes need Day to be more CEO than OC at this point.
The ideal hire? A coordinator with NFL experience who can bring a fresh perspective and push back when needed - someone Day trusts enough to hand over the keys and not look back.
Defensive Reload Underway
On the defensive side, Ohio State is coming off what many consider the most dominant season in school history. But they’ll need to reload - and fast.
Gone are key names like Caden Curry, Kayden McDonald, Sonny Styles, Arvell Reese, Caleb Downs, and Davison Igbinosun. That’s a lot of production and leadership walking out the door.
The Buckeyes have been aggressive in the portal, bringing in players like Qua Russaw, John Walker, James Smith, Christian Alliegro, Cam Calhoun, Dominick Kelly, and Terry Moore. That’s a solid haul, but it’s still a question of whether those guys can match the level of the players they’re replacing.
Caleb Downs, in particular, was a game-changer - the kind of player who alters how offenses game-plan. You don’t replace someone like him with just one guy. It might take three or four players working in tandem to replicate his impact.
And then there’s the chess match. Opposing coaches now have a full season of tape on Matt Patricia’s college schemes. That familiarity could be a factor, especially for programs with the talent and time to prepare - like Miami, who found a way to crack the Buckeyes’ defense late in the year.
The Verdict
The Buckeyes are talented. They’re deep.
And they’re used to being in the national title conversation. But they’re also facing a brutal schedule, a coaching vacancy on the offensive side, and major turnover on defense.
Can they win it all? Absolutely. But if they’re going to live up to the hype and cash in on those early odds, they’ll need to navigate a minefield of challenges - and do it with precision.
So while the talent is there, the margin for error is razor thin. The Buckeyes might be the betting favorite, but they’re going to have to earn every bit of it.