It is midway through the 2026 season, and the Ohio State Buckeyes look like one of the best teams in the country. The overarching feeling is that there is no truly dominant team across the country. Every team has flaws that someone else can exploit. That includes the Buckeyes.
If the Ohio State football program is going to win its second national title in three seasons, they ahve some questions it must answer. There are three questions that will define the second half of the season, and they can start to be answered on Saturday against Indiana.
1. Will any other receiver help Jeremiah Smith?
Jeremiah Smith is an absolute freak. He is by far and away the best player in college football. His stats are bonkers, and his ability to make catches while double- and triple-teamed is absurd. However, he needs some help from his fellow receivers to make this offense dangerous.
Smith has 916 receiving yards through six games. The next closest total from an Ohio State receiver is 245 from Devin McCuin. Smith has almost 700 yards more than the next closest receiver. I don't think that is sustainable down the stretch, especially in the gauntlet Ohio State is in now.
Someone else needs to be able to step up. Could that be McCuin? Will it be freshman Chris Henry Jr.? It doesn't really matter who it is. Julian Sayin needs a second receiver to start giving him some help if the Buckeyes want to win a title.
2. Can Ohio State generate a consistent pass rush?
This is not the same dominant Ohio State defense that was on the field a year ago. Last year's team saw the Buckeyes dominate in almost every statistical category. This year, the defense has struggled to live up to that standard. It's still a good defense; it's just not a great one.
The biggest issue is a lack of a pass rush. They simply don't get to the quarterback. Midway through the season, Ohio State has just nine sacks. That's 101st in the country. To beat the best teams in the country, there has to be some sort of threat that the quarterback is going to be sacked.
3. Can Connor Hawkins be trusted in a close game?
If Ohio State had a reliable kicker, there is an argument to be made that the Buckeyes might have won two more national titles in the Ryan Day era. A Noah Ruggles miss against Georgia cost them that chance in 2022. Last season, Jayden Fielding missed field goals in the Big Ten Championship and the Cotton Bowl.
Connor Hawkins was brought in to fix those issues. Yet, he missed a potential game-winning field goal against Texas and another field goal against Iowa. Those are the only two games that Ohio State has played a ranked foe so far. If he can't be trusted against the best teams, it massively changes how Ohio State has to play offense.
Saturday will be a big test for Hawkins against Indiana. If he misses another field goal in that game, which I predict he will, Day has to abandon any hope of him coming through against a good team. That would also mean they are back to square one in the kicking game.
Answering these questions will be the key to the Ohio State Buckeyes either winning a title or coming up short.
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