Life is all about learning from one's mistakes and trying to not repeat them again. One of the most interesting challenges of the Big Ten going from 14 teams to 18 with the additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington has to do with cross-country travel. The former Pac-12 schools coming east have had issues with it, just like the 14 East Coast and Midwest teams heading over to the Pacific...
Although it did not matter in the end, as Ohio State clobbered Oregon in the Rose Bowl en route to a College Football Playoff National Championship, the Buckeyes did stumble on the road at Autzen Stadium last year. Will Howard's worst moment at Ohio State was on full display with a poorly-timed slide. Ohio State does not have to play in Eugene this season, but must play Washington in Seattle.
Fortunately, Ohio State is wisely getting out ahead of this by leaving Columbus a day earlier now.
For those that care about this intel , can confirm Ohio State is leaving Thursday , a day early
— Official Ohio State DG (@DylanEveryday) September 22, 2025
Last year saw the Buckeyes travel to Oregon on Friday. Not to say that it was the reason why they came up short vs. the Ducks in Eugene, but Ryan Day's staff does not want to take any chances of it this time around. By leaving for Seattle on a Thursday, this may help the Buckeyes steal a game in another tough place to play in Husky Stadium. It has been a minute since U-Dub has lost at home, too.
Let's keep in mind Washington is also undefeated and is well-coached under Jedd Fisch's guidance.
Ohio State opts to leave Columbus for Seattle a day earlier than expected
Although Ohio State got a huge non-conference win over Texas, the Longhorns are starting to give off the vibes they can only beat tomato cans with Arch Manning at quarterback. Saddled with one loss, the Longhorns are not making the College Football Playoff should they lose two more times to the likes of Georgia, Oklahoma or Texas A&M. As for the Buckeyes, it is all about winning the Big Ten.
It may not look like much now, but getting a strong conference win on the road in Seattle could indicate that the Buckeyes can beat anyone on their Big Ten schedule. It was probably already the case anyway, but it goes to show that Day is a championship-caliber head coach who is continually progressing at the helm. The decision to leave early is about helping out his players and coaches.
Even though Howard was only a one-year starter in Columbus, he had plenty of starting experience previously at Kansas State. Outside of his handful of starts this year, Julian Sayin has not played very much college football. Furthermore, Day understands he can no longer lean on Jim Knowles' defense and mentor Chip Kelly calling offensive plays. This move will help out Brian Hartline and Matt Patricia.
Ohio State may have the more talented team over Washington this week, but the Huskies are tough!