Week 1 for the Ohio State Buckeyes should be a much easier affair in 2026 than it was last year. A year ago, the Buckeyes had to take on the Texas Longhorns at the Shoe, so they didn't have any sort of warm-up game. Texas is their opponent in Week 2 this year, so they do get that warm-up game.
Ball State comes to town for the first game of the season. Ross Bjork decided to make it Senior Day as well, so that makes this game a little bit more important than usual. However, the Cardinals are massive underdogs. Now, we know who Ball State's starting quarterback will be for the game.
Ball State names Keldric Luster as the starting QB ahead of Ohio State game
According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, the Cardinals have named Keldric Luster as the starting quarterback for the opener against the Buckeyes. Luster has now played at three different schools, as he has played at Texas State and SMU in his previous seasons.
In his college football career, Luster has only attempted 12 passes. He has only completed four of them and has no touchdown passes. This will be the first time that he is a starting quarterback, and his first game will come against mighty Ohio State. That is not an enviable task.
Luster is likely in for a rude awakening against what should be a great Ohio State defense. With Matt Patricia calling the plays again, the Buckeyes should make it incredibly difficult for the Cardinals to move the ball. In fact, it wouldn't be shocking if there was a shutout.
Ohio State needs to show some defensive firepower in this opening game before they travel down to Austin. Luster will be lucky if he is able to maintain a positive turnover margin. There is a good chance he will be sacked at least three times in this game, as well.
Ohio State should blowout the Cardinals in Week 1
This is a game in which Ohio State could score 60 points, even with backups playing most of the second half. It wouldn't be surprising if Ryan Day puts on an offensive clinic with Arthur Smith calling the plays, as they have a lot of things that they want to work on before taking on the Longhorns.
If the starters play more than a couple of drives in the second half, it would be surprising. The most important thing for that unit is to show a lot of skill in the first half and not have any injuries. Staying fresh for that gargantuan matchup in Week 2 is the most important thing.
Ball State will almost certainly start Week 1 0-1, which is something they know heading into this game. Ohio State is using this game as a glorified scrimmage to work on the issues that they need fixed before they see the Longhorns. That's bad news for Luster, who could see his confidence take a dip after facing the Buckeyes on defense.
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