Ohio State and Oregon will walk into Saturday with the same blunt reality hanging over them: lose, and the path gets awfully narrow. The Buckeyes host the Ducks at Ohio Stadium at 3:30 p.m., with CBS carrying a game that was supposed to feature two preseason title contenders and now feels more like a survival test.
Ohio State comes in at 6-2 and 4-1 after last Saturday’s 30-18 loss at USC. The Buckeyes were without starting quarterback Julian Sayin and running back Ja’Kobi Jackson, both out because of injuries, and freshman Luke Fahey made his first career start in Sayin’s place.
That defeat sent Ohio State tumbling in the rankings. The Buckeyes fell from No. 2 to No. 10 in the Coaches Poll and No. 11 in the AP Poll. They also opened at No. 12 in the first College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night.
Even with the setback, Ohio State still has a clear route to the Big Ten championship game. No.
5 UCLA is sitting alone in first place at 8-0 and 5-0, while the Buckeyes are tied in the loss column with Indiana at 8-1 and 5-1. Ohio State owns the head-to-head tiebreaker after beating the Hoosiers on Oct.
Oregon’s situation is even tighter. The Ducks are 5-3 and 3-2, unranked in both the AP and Coaches Polls, and sitting at No. 23 in the first CFP rankings. Their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread.
Quarterback play has been a major issue for Oregon, too. Starter Dante Moore was knocked out for the season after taking a big hit in an Oct. 10 win at USC.
The Ducks had already dropped a nonconference game at Oklahoma State before that. Former Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola, who was once an Ohio State verbal commitment, finished the USC game and has handled most of the last four games.
Oregon has gone 2-2 in that stretch, with results that have bounced all over the map: a 17-15 home loss to UCLA, a 17-14 home win over Nebraska, a 21-10 loss at Illinois and a 34-26 home win over Northwestern last Saturday.
Saturday’s matchup also adds another chapter to a recent series that has already produced plenty of drama. This is the third meeting in three years for Ohio State and Oregon.
They played twice in the 2024 season, Oregon’s first as a Big Ten member. The Ducks edged Ohio State 32-31 at home, and the Buckeyes answered with a 41-21 win over then-No.
1 Oregon in the 2025 Rose Bowl/CFP quarterfinal.
In Other News...
Jeremiah Smith Can Add Another Big Ten Milestone Against Oregon
Jeremiah Smith keeps turning milestone games into routine business, and the next one on the schedule gives him another chance to add to a record book he already owns in just about every meaningful way at Ohio State. The Buckeyes star receiver has become the standard for production in Columbus, and his latest stretch has him positioned to keep climbing the Big Ten lists while the spotlight only gets brighter.
Oregon is the next opponent, and with it comes another opportunity for Smith to keep stacking history against a high-profile defense. The yards record is still within reach, and with every big catch he makes, the conversation around him shifts a little more from what he has done to what he might finish with before this run is over. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Faces A Familiar Threat In A High-Stakes Rematch
Dylan Raiolas path back into Ohio States orbit has been a winding one, but the matchup ahead brings the Buckeyes face to face with a quarterback they once had in their own recruiting class. Now at Oregon, Raiola arrives with the kind of talent that made him such a coveted name in the first place, and the film shows the same split that has followed him along the way: dangerous when he gets comfortable, far less settled when the pocket starts to tighten.
For Ohio State, the challenge is as much about discipline as it is about disruption. The Buckeyes have to keep Raiola from getting into rhythm and make Oregon earn every clean look, because once he settles in, the Ducks offense can move quickly. It sets up a familiar kind of test for Ohio State, one that asks the defense to turn pressure into control before a familiar threat turns the rematch into something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Heads Into Ohio State With Key Offensive Questions
Oregons injury report is already shaping the conversation around its trip to Columbus, with the Ducks confirming that running back Jordon Davison and tight end Andrew Olesh will not be available against Ohio State. The latest updates also leave wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan in line for a possible return after a long injury layoff, giving the Ducks at least a little hope as they sort through the final pieces of their offensive plan.
The rest of the availability picture is still fluid, with other players carrying out or probable designations as Oregon prepares for one of its biggest tests of the season. For Ohio State, that means the focus is not just on who the Ducks will have, but on how much of their offense can be pieced together in time for a game where every healthy option matters. [Read more 🡒]