Ohio State’s path to the College Football Playoff looks clear enough on paper. Julian Sayin is back for his second season as the starter.
Jeremiah Smith is being talked about as maybe the best receiver in the country. Bo Jackson just ran for 1,090 yards as a freshman.
The defense still has high-end talent almost everywhere, and the coaching staff is loaded, too.
Still, if the Buckeyes somehow end up on the outside looking in, the reason may not be some dramatic collapse from the stars. It may be far more basic than that: they get pushed around in the trenches.
The offensive line is the first place to watch. Ohio State brings back experience, but last season was a reminder that experience alone does not automatically mean the unit can handle elite opponents. There were ugly stretches against Indiana and Miami, especially when the Buckeyes needed to keep drives alive inside the red zone.
There is at least some reason for optimism. The staff appears to have settled on its, “ best five ” up front, with Ian Moore at left tackle and Austin Siereveld sliding back to right guard alongside Luke Montgomery, Carson Hinzman and Phillip Daniels.
Ryan Day said Monday that group was working with the first team. Under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, that could be the combination Ohio State needs.
But it still has to prove it against top-tier competition.
And the schedule is not offering much breathing room. Ohio State goes to Texas in Week 2, visits Indiana, travels to USC, hosts Oregon and closes the regular season against Michigan. According to the schedule release notes, nine of the Buckeyes’ 12 regular-season opponents played in a bowl game or the CFP in 2025, and seven won at least nine games.
If Moore has trouble with elite edge rushers, if the interior can’t create movement in the run game, or if last year’s issues against physical defenses show up again, Ohio State could wind up in a string of one-score games.
There is a similar concern on the defensive side, where the Buckeyes have to replace major production on the line. Caden Curry and Kayden McDonald are gone, and both left big numbers behind.
Curry finished 2025 with 66 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. McDonald had 65 tackles, nine tackles for loss and three sacks before becoming a second-round NFL Draft pick.
That kind of output does not just replace itself. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. is the obvious candidate to take a big jump after breaking out in 2025 with 28 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. But turning that into a double-digit sack season is still a projection, not a promise.
Ohio State also needs new defensive line pieces like James Smith and John Walker to give it real snaps right away, while players such as Eddrick Houston have to keep climbing.
That is where the nightmare starts to take shape. If the offensive line cannot hold up against elite fronts and the defensive line cannot pressure quarterbacks or control the run against elite offenses, the Buckeyes can survive one problem.
Both at once? That gets dangerous fast.
Texas, Indiana, USC, Oregon and Michigan all loom as games where the battle in the trenches could decide everything. Lose two or three of those, and a season many expect to finish 12-0 or 11-1 can suddenly look like 9-3 or even 8-4.
The expanded Playoff gives Ohio State some cushion, and even 10-2 or 9-3 could still keep the Buckeyes in the mix. But multiple losses would make the road much tougher and leave them in a worse spot once they get there.
So if Ohio State misses the CFP, it probably will not be because Jeremiah Smith had a quiet year or Julian Sayin forgot how to play quarterback. The bigger question is whether the trenches can meet the standard the rest of the roster sets. If they can’t, the Buckeyes’ talent everywhere else may not be enough to save them.
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Steve Sarkisian Is Still Trying To Explain Ohio State Away
Steve Sarkisian is still circling back to Texas College Football Playoff loss to Ohio State, and the explanation he offered on a podcast did little to make the defeat feel any smaller. The Texas coach pointed to a mental fatigue his team carried into that 2024 game, a night when the Buckeyes controlled the matchup well enough to leave no real doubt about the gap between the programs.
For Ohio State, that game became part of a championship run, the kind of win that lingers because it was followed by even bigger stakes and a trophy at the end of the road. Texas, meanwhile, is trying to move forward with a new offensive system and the kind of confidence that comes from players like Jeremiah Smith, even as the Longhorns continue to deal with questions about a pass defense that was vulnerable a season ago. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Most Dangerous Offensive Duo Might Be Even Better Now
Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith are back together for a second season, and the early signs around Ohio State suggest the pairing may be even more dangerous now. The quarterback has taken on a more vocal presence as a leader, and that matters for a Buckeyes offense built around timing, trust and the kind of connection that can stress a defense on every snap.
Ryan Day has already pointed to Sayins leadership as one of the things standing out as the team gets ready for the upcoming season. For Ohio State, the appeal is obvious: if the chemistry between Sayin and Smith keeps sharpening, the Buckeyes could be looking at a passing game that is far harder to slow down than it was a year ago. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Backfield Need Puts This In-State Target In Focus
Ohio States search for help in the backfield has put an in-state target on the radar after a strong high school performance drew fresh attention to Jordan Hall. The 2027 running back from Ohio is already committed to Miami (Ohio), but his recruitment has begun to pick up, with Penn State recently stepping in with an offer and the Buckeyes keeping a close eye on him because of their need at running back.
Hall is set to come to Columbus for a game-day visit next weekend when Ohio State hosts Ball State, giving the Buckeyes a chance to make a stronger impression in person. There is still no offer from Ohio State, but the interest is real enough that this trip could become an important checkpoint in a recruitment that is starting to move. [Read more 🡒]