We finally made it. After a long wait, the Ohio State football program is back at it. They are looking to end the 2026 season better than 2025 ended, when they lost their final two games. Of course, the Buckeyes are the top-ranked team in the country to start the year.
Week 1 sees the Ohio State Buckeyes taking on Ball State in what will be Senior Day. It's a game that shouldn't carry a lot of stress, but it will give us our first look at Arthur Smith's new offense. We have you covered on all of the different ways to watch the game, as well.
How to watch Ohio State take on Ball State
The easiest way to watch the Buckeyes play the Cardinals is to tune into the Big Ten Network at 12:30 pm ET. That is the channel carrying the game. Of course, the game can also be found on the FOX Sports App, FOX One, and, of course, on Fubo TV. There are plenty of ways to watch the game.
With the game being played on BTN, Fox always makes sure that the fans have plenty of ways to consume the game. It should be a game that will likely see a lot of scoring come from Ohio State. According to DraftKings, the Buckeyes are favored by 50.5 points, with an over/under set at 56.5.
Jeremiah Smith is going to be the focal point of the offense in Week 1 in preparation for what Week 2 will bring. Ohio State has to travel down to Austin to take on Texas, and that will be a much different kind of challenge for Ryan Day and his players. This game against Ball State will serve as a nice warm-up game for an offense that is implementing a new system.
Ohio State vs. Ball State early predictions
This is early in the week, but Ohio State is clearly the superior team. Ball State named Keldric Luster as its starting quarterback, and he will not be ready for what he is going to face. Quite frankly, scoring any points against Ohio State's defense will be considered a victory.
Matt Patricia showed off what he's able to do with his defensive scheme last season in his first year. While he lost a lot of good players on that side of the ball, the Cardinals simply don't have the talent to keep up. This game will likely be over around halftime, which would pave the way for backups to get snaps.
Right now, Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin are trying to start their Heisman campaigns. In order for them to have a successful launch, Sayin needs to have at least 250 passing yards, and Smith needs at least two touchdown catches. I think that's reasonable for both to get.
Neither player should play in the fourth quarter of this one. Ohio State should win this game 56-3, although Ball State might not score. It would be surprising to see the starters play at all in the fourth quarter.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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