Ohio State spent its bye week on the sideline, but the weekend still delivered a few reminders about where the Buckeyes stand in the Big Ten picture.
While the Buckeyes were resting and watching conference games unfold, Illinois knocked off Oregon 21-10 in Champaign, Minnesota dented Iowa’s CFP hopes, UCLA rolled Michigan State and Northwestern clinched a bowl berth with a 42-14 win over Rutgers in Evanston.
Ohio State now turns back to business next Saturday, when it visits USC at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The Buckeyes also moved up to No. 2 in Sunday’s AP Poll after their bye.
Their last game is the one that keeps echoing. On Oct. 17, Ohio State went into Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind., and came away with a 19-15 win that snapped Indiana’s 22-game winning streak and gave the Buckeyes their biggest victory so far this season.
That result said plenty about Ohio State. Beating the defending national champion Hoosiers, who finished last season unbeaten in one of the sport’s great turnaround stories, made one thing clear: a team does not have to be flawless, and one injury does not have to sink an entire season.
That’s why the Buckeyes’ current situation still feels very much alive. Their season remains on track for a run at a Big Ten title or a second national championship in three seasons, and that stays true whether Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair, or both, are available next Saturday.
The bigger picture hasn’t changed either. Ryan Day is a national champion.
Matt Patricia and Arthur Smith both have NFL titles on their résumés. The program’s stature is still there, no matter who lines up at quarterback.
Josh Pate, the college football podcaster from ESPN and On3, has floated the idea that Ohio State could finish 9-3. But the last time the Buckeyes won nine games or fewer was 1985.
So it’s one thing to say the Buckeyes could look different with someone other than Julian Sayin at quarterback. It’s another thing entirely to assume their season is effectively over.
Ohio State is still playing for more than its own survival. If it reaches the CFP again, it can keep the Big Ten’s title streak alive with another national championship, while giving Day another chance to cement his place among the best coaches in school history.
Heading into Halloween week, the message is pretty simple: Ohio State is resilient, and it doesn’t deserve to be treated like an underachiever.
In Other News...
Ohio State Could Revisit A Familiar Ole Miss Transfer Path
The transfer pipeline from Oxford to Columbus has already worked once for Ohio State, and it could be a path worth watching again if Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy decides his future is elsewhere. Quinshon Judkins made the jump from Ole Miss to Ohio State in 2023 and quickly became part of the Buckeyes productive backfield rotation, giving the program a clear example of how a proven SEC runner can fit into its system.
Lacys shoulder injury has only added more uncertainty around his next move, with speculation swirling about whether he could eventually enter the transfer portal or even look toward the NFL Draft. For Ohio State, the interest is obvious if he becomes available, but for now it remains just that, a possibility rather than a pursuit, with the Buckeyes and everyone else waiting to see how his situation unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Got A New Warning About USC Trip
USCs offense hit an unusual wall against Wisconsin, and that should at least sharpen Ohio States attention ahead of its trip west. In a loss that doubled as the lowest-scoring outing of the Lincoln Riley era, the Trojans were held to seven points and 241 total yards, with Wisconsin making a clear point of attacking the run game first and then getting after quarterback Jayden Maiava.
For Ohio State, the lesson is less about copying Wisconsin and more about seeing a workable blueprint. USC still has the pieces to stress a defense in a hurry, but when the running game gets bogged down and Maiava feels pressure, the whole operation can stall. That gives the Buckeyes a useful warning before they walk into the matchup, because stopping the early rhythm may matter just as much as dealing with the explosive plays everyone expects. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Heads To USC With Two Defensive Questions Lingering
Ohio States trip to USC is arriving with a familiar kind of October tension: a big road test, a short turnaround and a growing injury list after the Buckeyes win over Indiana. The latest concern on offense is Julian Sayin, whose injury appears likely to end his season, but the defensive side is carrying its own uncertainty as Ryan Day tries to sort out who will be available in Los Angeles.
Jay Timmons and Kenyatta Jackson are the names that now hang over the matchup, with Day offering only an update that leaves their status up in the air. For a Buckeyes team that is still trying to keep its focus on the next opponent, the timing matters because USC is the kind of game where every available body on defense matters, and Ohio State may not know its full plan until later in the week. [Read more 🡒]