Ohio State’s standard has always been brutal in the best possible way. In Columbus, a “down year” usually still looks pretty good by almost anybody else’s standards. But 2026 has pushed the Buckeyes into a conversation they almost never join: where this season sits among the program’s worst.
After a wave of defensive talent left for the 2026 NFL Draft and quarterback Julian Sayin suffered a long-term injury, Ryan Day’s team fell to 6-3 through Week 10. That alone has put this group on the shortlist of Ohio State’s most disappointing teams since the turn of the century.
The Buckeyes have spent most of their history avoiding the kind of collapse that wrecks other bluebloods. In fact, Ohio State has never lost more than seven games in a season, a distinction no other college football program can claim. And while the 2026 team is still positioned to finish with a respectable record, it’s already in rare territory for the wrong reasons.
The last time Ohio State dropped three games or more in a season was 2011, and that year also marked the program’s last losing record. That season came in the aftermath of the “Tattoogate” scandal, which brought vacated wins, two years of NCAA probation, a suspension for head coach Jim Tressell and other sanctions. Luke Fickell served as interim coach and guided the Buckeyes to a 6-7 finish, capped by a Gator Bowl loss to Florida, before Urban Meyer was hired the following offseason.
Since the College Football Playoff began in 2014, Ohio State has still been one of the sport’s defining powers. The Buckeyes have reached seven of the 11 tournaments and won national titles in both 2014 and 2024.
Only Alabama has made the CFP more often, with nine appearances. Ohio State’s playoff run has included a title in 2014, semifinal losses in 2016, 2019 and 2022, missed bids in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2023, a national championship game loss to Alabama in 2020, a title over Notre Dame in 2024 and a quarterfinal loss to Miami in 2025.
When you widen the lens to the worst seasons in school history, the list is still remarkably short on disaster. The bottom of the pile begins with 1897, when Ohio State went 1-7-1 under David Farragut Edwards. That remains the worst record in program history, and it included a 34-0 loss to Michigan in the first meeting between the rivals.
The next roughest stretch came in 2011, followed by 1947, when Wes Fesler’s team finished 2-6-1 in the Big Nine Conference. That squad placed last in the league, beat only Missouri and Northwestern, and ended up No. 35 in the final Litkenhous Ratings, which ranked 500 college football teams.
Ohio State also went 3-6 in 1943 under Paul Brown, getting wins over Missouri, Pittsburgh and Illinois while being outscored 187-149. Another losing season arrived in 1988, when first-year coach John Cooper’s Buckeyes finished 4-6-1, seventh in the Big Ten, with wins over Syracuse, LSU, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
A few other seasons round out the program’s worst by loss total: 1959 at 3-5-1 under Woody Hayes, 1966 at 4-5 under Woody Hayes, 1923 at 3-4-1 under John Wilce and 1924 at 2-3-3 under John Wilce.
For a program with nine claimed national championships, 39 Big Ten titles and seven College Football Playoff appearances, even a season like 2026 feels jarring. That’s the Ohio State standard. And that’s why a 6-3 start can already land a Buckeyes team in the middle of an uncomfortable historical conversation.
In Other News...
Ohio State Finally Made A Change Fans Saw Coming
Ohio State made the kind of midseason move fans had been expecting after a string of special teams breakdowns kept showing up at the worst possible moments. Robby Discher was fired after nine games, with the Buckeyes issues on that phase of the game becoming harder to ignore as penalties and momentum-swinging mistakes piled up in recent losses.
Ryan Day said there had simply been too many detrimental plays to keep things as they were, and the staff is now reshuffling responsibilities to finish the season. Senior analyst Rob Keys will oversee special teams the rest of the way, with other coaches taking on specific units, a sign that Ohio State is trying to steady one of the most frustrating parts of its operation before it costs them again. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Backup Quarterback Problem Just Got More Complicated
Justyn Martins role at Ohio State has become one of those quiet depth-chart stories that can suddenly matter a lot more than anyone expected. The fifth-year senior has not played this season, but with Julian Sayin sidelined, Martin is now listed as the third-string quarterback, and Ryan Day has already made it clear he likes what he has seen from him in practice. For a team that always has to be ready at quarterback, that kind of behind-the-scenes trust can carry real weight.
Martin has kept working alongside Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair, staying in the mix while the Buckeyes sort through their options. He has spoken confidently about the group and noted that Sayin remains supportive during his recovery, which only adds another layer to a situation that is still unfolding. For now, Martin is waiting for a chance that has not come yet, but the fact that Day is even floating game usage suggests Ohio States backup picture is far from settled. [Read more 🡒]
Chip Kelly Is Suddenly Back In Ohio State's Offensive Picture
Chip Kellys name is back in the mix around Ohio State, and not just as a nostalgic footnote. The former Buckeyes assistant, now at Northwestern, has surfaced in conversations about offensive play-caller openings, with his past tie to the program giving the idea immediate credibility. For a staff that is always under the microscope, any movement on the offensive side tends to draw attention quickly, especially when it involves a coach with Kellys rsum and familiarity with the Ohio State environment.
The broader picture is still fluid, though, because Nebraska is also being linked to Kelly and may try to sell him on the stature of the job rather than a simple financial pitch. For Ohio State, the possibility seems tied to whether current staff changes open a path, which is why the chatter feels more like a developing subplot than a settled pursuit. Even so, the fact that Kelly is being discussed in that context says plenty about how quickly the Buckeyes offensive landscape can shift. [Read more 🡒]