There were warning signs that the Ohio State Buckeyes weren't going to be properly pushed during the 2025 College Football season ahead of a repeat bid in the CFP. Their Big Ten Championship loss to the Indiana Hoosiers was a warning sign, and the program's double-digit loss to the Miami Hurricanes in the Cotton Bowl Classic was proof that there was a fire following that smoke.
Land-Grant Holy Land's Alex Frank pointed out that three Big Ten games that were supposed to be marquee conferences tests for the Buckeyes, the Illinois Fighting Illini, Penn State Nittany Lions, and TTUN, failed to live up to the billing because of individual flaws within each program that upended their chances of contention.
"Leading into the 2025 season, Ohio State’s schedule featured multiple matchups in Big Ten play perceived as marquee games. Michigan, Penn State, and Illinois. All three of those games were viewed as major games on the schedule," Frank prefaced before saying, "Those three games, though, turned out to be cakewalks for the Buckeyes. Overall, Big Ten play became a cake walk for the Buckeyes. It felt as if Ryan Day and the players were playing the long game in staying fresh for The Game and the Postseason. That was fine at the time, but it came back to be a negative for the Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff."
Illinois fell apart in the trenches. Penn State gave up on James Franklin, arguably from the start of the season. As for the Wolverines, Bryce Underwood wasn't ready for the massive spotlight Sherrone Moore put on him during his true freshman season.
If only those teams lived up to the hype. Maybe Ryan Day's program could've been hit with adversity and responded accordingly. Then, perhaps they wouldn't have been swarmed so thoroughly by the Canes without a strong response.
Ohio State will likely be disappointed by opponents again this coming season
While most are focusing on how tough Ohio State's 2026 schedule looks on paper, it's always important to remember that the Buckeyes were the only preseason top-four team to even make the 2025/2026 CFP field. The Texas Longhorns just missed the cut, but the Nittany Lions and Clemson Tigers ended up playing in the Pinstripes Bowl.
More than likely, there will be a massive disappointment on OSU's schedule. It's tough to tell now who that will be, but it's an objective statement to say many of the brands on the slate have big budgets and insatiable fanbases waiting to win -- while it's also objective to say that several of those brands are prone to disappointment year in and year out for various internal reasons.