The Ohio State football program fell short of winning back-to-back national championships. In fact, the Buckeyes only completed one of their goals in 2025, beating TTUN. They dominated Michigan but lost to Indiana and Miami in consecutive games to end the season.
After winning a tough opening game against Texas, Ohio State's schedule was pretty friendly until the final game of the season. The 2026 schedule does not set up as friendly, as the Buckeyes know they will have tougher road opponents in Texas, Indiana, and USC.
Tuesday night revealed when the Ohio State Buckeyes will face these teams. This is the first season in which Big Ten teams only get one bye week since moving to an 18-team conference, and Ohio State's schedule doesn't set up very well for them.
The Ohio State football team has a brutal 2026 schedule
The second half of the schedule is brutal for the Buckeyes. They take on IU in Week 7 before their bye week. After the bye, they travel to USC and play at home against Oregon in back-to-back games. Ohio State will also play at Nebraska before taking on TTUN in the final game of the season.
Ohio State only has two cupcakes on the Big Ten portion of the schedule. Week 6 against Maryland is one of them, and Week 11 against Northwestern. The rest of the schedule does not sit well for the Buckeyes, but they are still one of the most talented teams in the country.
One positive note is that Ohio State gets the bye week before the USC game. Playing three straight against IU, USC, and Oregon would have been brutal. Obviously, the tough game early at Texas is a game to keep an eye on. At least the Buckeyes get to take on Ball State before that game is played.
Ohio State has its work cut out if they want to win another national championship. This schedule is one of the toughest ones they've had to navigate in recent years.