If the Ohio State Buckeyes don't make the 2026-2027 College Football Playoff field, their October/early November slate may just be the reason why.
As The Columbus Dispatch's Joey Kaufman writes, OSU's toughest stretch of the year will take place between October 17, with a trip to Bloomington, Indiana, to take on the defending champion Hoosiers, and November 7, with the Oregon Ducks coming to the "Shoe." In between, there's a bye week and a trip to Los Angeles to take on the USC Trojans.
Even USC, which doesn't boast a strong recent history, will bring the No. 1 2026 high school recruiting class in the country into the home matchup with an Ohio State team that may enter this stretch with a Week 1 loss to the Texas Longhorns at DKR Stadium in Austin to kick off the season.
"In a span of three games to begin the second half of the regular season, the Buckeyes will face two teams that were in the College Football Playoff semifinals," Kaufman prefaced before saying, "The stretch begins on Oct. 17 at Indiana, which won its first national championship earlier this month and is well-positioned for a repeat run after some splashy pickups in the transfer portal."
"It ends on Nov. 7 against Oregon, which met the Hoosiers in a semifinal. The Ducks are the only Big Ten team outside of Michigan that has beaten Ohio State more than once in the Ryan Day era, including a win in 2021 when they were members of the Pac-12.
"The Buckeyes are at USC in between those games. While the Trojans have never made the Playoff, there’s some buzz entering Lincoln Riley’s fifth season at the helm due to the return of quarterback Jaydan Maiava. Indiana and Oregon were the only Big Ten teams that averaged more points per game than USC last season."
"All three boast experienced starting quarterbacks entering 2026, as the Hoosiers added TCU transfer Josh Hoover and the Ducks brought back Dante Moore, who held off entering the NFL draft despite being projected as a possible No. 1 overall pick."
Maybe Arthur Smith was a hedge for Ryan Day
The Buckeyes' 2026 schedule is unforgiving. So much so that perhaps Ryan Day knows this may be the year fatigue catches up to his program.
The emotional letdown Ohio State had to end the 2025 season will stick with some of the players who see 2026 as their NFL contract year. Many of these top recruits were Brian Hartline guys, especially the receivers, and now they will be playing for infamous heir to the FedEx fortune, Arthur Smith, who's not exactly known for exciting and fun offenses to watch or play in, unless you're a workhorse running back who loves the grind.
Could Day have hired Smith as a hedge? If the Buckeyes disappoint, Day can simply point to the Smith hire as a misfire. That could salvage a 2027 season, where he'd then have to find someone who can actually run a championship-level offense.
Let's hope that's not how the 2026 season is viewed in Columbus.