Ohio State has been so recession-proof as a football program to the point that going 10-2 seems like the baseline expectation each season, if not a disappointment.Since Jim Tressel took over in 2001, Ohio State has finished a regular season with more than two losses just three times. The lone sub.-500 season came with Luke Fickell as the interim coach in 2011.Since 2012, the Buckeyes are 165-21 with two national championships and five Big Ten championships. With a passionate and demanding fan base, that will be the baseline expectation again this season. However, something is different this time: the schedule.The Buckeyes will open the season at home against Ball State on Sept. 5, but from there they play at Texas in Week 2, plus Big Ten games at Iowa, at USC, at Indiana, versus Oregon and versus Michigan, with two sneaky conference games at home versus Illinois to start conference play and at Nebraska the week before Michigan. That list includes five opponents ranked in Stewart Mandel’s post-spring Top 25 — including the top two — plus an Iowa team that was 26th.
2026 Ohio State Schedule DateTeamMandel's RankSept. 5Ball StateSept. 12at Texas7Sept. 19Kent StateSept. 26IllinoisOct. 3at Iowa26Oct. 10MarylandOct. 17at Indiana1Oct. 24OffOct. 31at USC12Nov. 7Oregon2Nov. 14NorthwesternNov. 21at NebraskaNov. 28Michigan17
