The Ohio State Buckeyes and TTUN are worlds apart right now in terms of perception. OSU's reputation in College Football is pristine, with most tabbing the Buckeyes a top-three team for the 2026 season. The Wolverines, meanwhile, are seen as season-destroyers. That's how CBS Sports' Austin Nivison sees it anyway.
Nivison intimated that the Oregon Ducks could essentially survive a loss to Ohio State when the two teams clash on November 7 at the "Shoe." The opposite case was made with a loss to TTUN in town at Autzen.
"Oregon is one of a few teams on this list with the distinct pleasure of playing Ohio State and Michigan in back-to-back weeks," Nivison wrote. "The Ducks will visit Columbus before hosting the Wolverines, so either game could make this list. The pick was ultimately Michigan because losing on the road to Ohio State won't totally kill Oregon's season, assuming the Ducks handle business at home against teams like Michigan and Washington. How will Oregon recover from what should be an epic clash with Ohio State -- regardless of the outcome?"
Ohio State given confidence in every prediction, including USC
While speaking of the Buckeyes, Nivison spoke with complete confidence. In fact, a Halloween night clash in LA against the USC Trojans is seen as a game that could "set the table for an impressive late-season run," before the Oregon and TTUN games.
Ohio State has maximum confidence from around the College Football world. Given the strength of the Buckeyes' coaching staff and Ryan Day's consistent stability in Columbus since taking over in 2019, it's hard to poke any holes in it.
We'll see how OSU contends with a deep Big Ten that has several other teams, like the Ducks and Indiana Hoosiers, who also have pundits predicting potential title runs. It sounds like the Wolverines won't be a problem by the end of the season, though that's not the attitude this team will carry into "The Game" in Week 13 either way.
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