Ohio State is staring at a place the program rarely visits this early, but Cris Carter isn’t ready to write off the Buckeyes.
The Ohio State great said on Fully Loaded that he believes the Buckeyes can still run the table and put themselves back in position for the College Football Playoff. Carter laid out a path that ends with Ohio State at 10-2, back in the Big Ten Championship Game and still alive for a top-four seed.
"I think Ohio State's going to win the rest of their games. They're going to finish 10-2.
They're going to go to the Big Ten Championship. They'll be playing the undefeated UCLA, and then Ohio State gets a chance to be one of the top four seeds in the College Football Playoff."
That confidence starts with the defense. Carter is banking on Ohio State getting that side of the ball fixed, because the Buckeyes need it to carry Luke Fahey while he continues to settle in. Even if Fahey looks better than he did Saturday night in Los Angeles, Carter sees him as a young quarterback who still has a lot of growing to do.
"Also, this young quarterback, in another month, he's going to be a different guy. I mean, he threw for 200 yards and didn't have a whole bunch of help."
The challenge now is for Ohio State’s coaches to show they can steady the program. Carter thinks the Buckeyes still have national championship aspirations, and he sees the game against Oregon as an important chance to remind the College Football Playoff Committee what this team can still become.
Last week’s loss was probably the second-worst defeat Ohio State has taken under Ryan Day, with the 2024 game against TTUN standing as the worst. But the Buckeyes responded to that setback by rallying all the way to a national championship, and Day is being asked to summon something similar again.
Another loss would open the door to a wave of questions the program may not want to face yet. Assistant coaches, Julian Sayin’s return and the starting quarterback situation next year would all become part of the conversation.
For Day, the assignment is straightforward: prove he belongs among the best coaches in college football right now. He didn’t do that in LA. At home, against a backup quarterback, he has a better chance to make that case.
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Ohio State Faces One Oregon Threat Fans Can't Ignore
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For Ohio State, the attention naturally shifts to Jeremiah Smith, who has been one of the teams top performers this season and a central part of the Buckeyes passing game. With both sides bringing high-end receiver talent into a game that could shape the playoff picture, the early read is that big plays and momentum swings may decide more than just the box score. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremiah Smith Enters A Weekend That Could Change Everything For Ohio State
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For Ohio State, Smith sits in the middle of that buzz, with every big performance carrying extra weight for both his trophy case and the sports card market that tracks these breakout moments so closely. The stakes are bigger than one Saturday, too, because wins and losses in these spotlight games can alter playoff paths and change how quickly a candidates profile rises, leaving this weekend with the potential to redraw the Heisman picture in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Saw Oregon Flip This Game With Zero Fear
Oregon spent the first quarter looking like a team trying to survive Ohio State, then spent the rest of the half looking like one willing to challenge it. After falling behind 14-0, the Ducks steadied themselves with a successful fake punt and a series of aggressive calls that helped them seize a 17-14 lead by halftime, turning a game that had started with Buckeye momentum into something far more uneasy for the home side.
Dan Lannings approach fit the moment and the season. Oregon came in with less pressure after earlier losses, while Ohio State carried the weight of keeping its College Football Playoff path intact, and the Ducks played with the kind of freedom that can tilt a big game. Lanning stressed the need to stay true to the teams identity and avoid turnovers, and for a stretch, that mindset was enough to flip the tone in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]