Ohio State is set to be at the center of the 2026-27 College Football Playoff picture, and not just because the Buckeyes are expected to be one of the favorites to win it all.
Their regular-season schedule could end up steering the entire postseason conversation, with several of their games carrying major weight well beyond Columbus. Whether Ohio State is chasing a national title or knocking another contender off course, the Buckeyes figure to have a direct hand in shaping how the Playoff unfolds.
That was underscored Monday when FOX’s Joel Klatt unveiled the 10 games in 2026 with the biggest impact on the season. Three of those 10 involve Ohio State, a sign of just how much the Buckeyes will matter in the national race.
The biggest of the bunch comes in Week Two, when Ohio State heads to Austin, Texas, to face the Longhorns in what should be a massive matchup between two of the sport’s premier programs. The stakes are simple: the winner gains a major edge in the chase for a top playoff seed, while the loser likely survives but can’t afford many more mistakes.
Another key spot on the calendar arrives October 17 in Bloomington, Indiana, where the Buckeyes will meet the Hoosiers in a game that carries a revenge angle for Ohio State after the end of the 2025-26 season. Klatt placed it seventh on his list, and it could be even bigger if both teams are sitting near the top of the rankings. If one or both enter with a loss, a second defeat would create serious pressure for the two-loss team.
The final Ohio State game on Klatt’s list lands on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, when the Buckeyes host Michigan in the rivalry game. Ohio State is aiming for a second straight win in the series, and the matchup has a chance to be enormous if the Wolverines follow through on their own improvement and keep winning. In the right scenario, it could be a top-10 showdown with Big Ten Championship implications, or even a kind of playoff eliminator.
Ohio State has three of the 10 most important games on the 2026 slate, and that kind of schedule impact is exactly why the Buckeyes could end up shaping the College Football Playoff one way or another.
In Other News...
Michigan Chaos Around Bryce Underwood Is Already Turning Heads In Columbus
Bryce Underwood is already drawing plenty of attention in Ann Arbor, and not all of it is the kind Michigan hoped for when it landed the highly touted quarterback. After a spring in which his performance prompted questions about how quickly he can settle in, the conversation around him has only gotten louder, with outsiders starting to wonder whether the Wolverines truly have their long-term answer under center.
For Ohio State, the intrigue is obvious because anything that chips away at Michigan's quarterback stability only adds another layer to The Game. The chatter has now reached the point where some are openly talking about the Buckeyes being the team that could end Underwood's run in Ann Arbor, which is the sort of late-fall subplot that tends to follow a quarterback until the pressure finally catches up. [Read more 🡒]
Jeff Okudah Had A Surprising Take On Jeremiah Smith's Rise
Jeff Okudahs perspective on Jeremiah Smith carries a little extra weight, given what he was at Ohio State and what he became after leaving. The former Buckeye cornerback and No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft recently weighed in on whether he could handle Smith in coverage, and the answer was not the sort of automatic shutdown claim fans might expect. Instead, it came off as a sign of respect for just how quickly Smith has turned into a receiver people around the program have to measure against.
Okudah also had encouraging thoughts about the current Ohio State secondary, which should matter to a team that is always trying to reload on defense without missing a beat. He pointed to Devin Sanchez and Jermaine Mathews as two young corners with the kind of upside that could make the back end of the defense a strength again this season, a reminder that the Buckeyes are still building around elite talent on both sides of the ball even as the conversation keeps circling back to Smith. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State's Recruiting Surge May Not Be Slowing Down Yet
Ohio States 2027 recruiting momentum picked up again over the weekend with commitments from two more prospects, giving the Buckeyes another burst of early class-building energy. Four-star offensive lineman Caden Moss, a highly regarded Missouri native, picked Ohio State after a stretch of visits and recruitment that included Ole Miss, while three-star wide receiver Jordan Donahoo of Florida added another pass-catching piece to a class that is starting to take shape on both lines and at the skill spots.
Donahoos pledge came after a late Ohio State offer and a strong push from new receivers coach Cortez Hankton, a sign the Buckeyes are still making noise even as the cycle remains young. The bigger question now is whether the weekends gains are just the start of a bigger run, with another major target lined up to make his decision soon and Ohio State positioned to stay in the mix at the front of the line. [Read more 🡒]