Pick Six Previews ranks Ohio State No. 2 nationally and predicts another College Football Playoff Run in 2026.
Ohio State enters the 2026 season with a target on its back, and Brett Ciancia of Pick Six Previews is buying in. In his 2026 season preview, Ciancia slots the Buckeyes at No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 2 overall nationally, betting that Ryan Day’s program can reload once again after gutting NFL Draft losses.
Ciancia frames Ohio State’s situation through the lens of what he calls the “Dynasty Tier,” where there are no rebuilding years, only reloads. After winning the national title, the Buckeyes watched 14 players get drafted, four of them in the first round, the second-biggest draft class in modern college football history.
Then, this past April, the NFL’s 33rd team sent 11 more players to the league, making Ohio State the first program to have seven-plus players drafted in the first two rounds in consecutive drafts and the first since 1967 to have four players land in the top 11 picks.
Despite that talent drain, Ciancia points to the machine underneath it all: five straight top-five recruiting classes have kept a pipeline of blue-chip talent ready to step into starting roles the moment a spot opens up.
Looking Back at a Historic 2025
Ciancia’s preview doesn’t skip over Ohio State’s disappointingly historic 2025 season. New defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s unit clicked immediately, suffocating a preseason No. 1 Texas team and Heisman favorite Arch Manning to just seven points while stopping them twice inside the ten-yard line.
The Buckeyes went on to snap Washington’s 22-game home win streak and finished with the No. 1 scoring defense in America, allowing a first-half touchdown for the first time all season in Week 8.
Offensively, first-year starter Julian Sayin set an NCAA regular-season record with a 78.4% completion rate and earned an invite to the Heisman ceremony. Ryan Day also finally got Michigan out of the way, snapping a four-game losing streak in the rivalry with a 27-9 win.
But the season ended in disappointment as Indiana and Miami combined for 10 sacks and held the Buckeyes to 2.1 yards per carry across the Big Ten title game and Playoff quarterfinal, bouncing Ohio State from the bracket on New Year’s Eve.
Offense Built Around Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith
Looking ahead, Ciancia expects Ohio State’s offense to be a top-five unit nationally, anchored by a group of returning stars. Sayin comes back after a 3,610-yard, 32-touchdown freshman season that won him the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award. Ciancia’s critique for Sayin’s next step centers on his legs and the ability to extend plays and create off-script in crunch time.
Jeremiah Smith, whom Ciancia describes as a candidate for the best overall player in college football, returns for a final season on pace to break Ohio State’s receiving records. Bo Jackson is back after a surprise 1,000-yard freshman campaign at running back, and four starters return on an offensive line that combined for 91 starts, including Austin Siereveld, who didn’t allow a single sack all season.
A Defense Rebuilding Around Patricia’s System
The defensive side of the ball took the brunt of the roster turnover. Ciancia notes that Ohio State allowed just 9.3 points and 219 yards per game in 2025, both Playoff-era bests dating back to 2014, but must replace three All-Big Ten linemen and two All-American, first-round linebackers in Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles.
The staff leaned on the transfer portal to patch the gaps, adding six Power 4 starters, including two off of Alabama’s line and a top-ranked linebacker transfer, Christian Alliegro from Wisconsin, while a handful of blue-chip underclassmen compete for playing time.
In the secondary, Ciancia gives Ohio State “as strong a claim as anyone” to the Defensive Back U title. Caleb Downs departs as one of the best safeties in program history, but five-star corner Devin Sanchez and returning safety Jaylen McClain headline a unit reloaded with transfer additions and blue-chip signees.
The Bottom Line
Ciancia’s outlook shares that 11 more draft picks gone is no problem for Ohio State. He expects the Buckeyes to return to the Big Ten title game and make another Playoff run, with a top-five offense, multiple Heisman contenders, and a veteran offensive line leading the way.
His verdict on the ceiling has a caveat: if Sayin takes the next step and starts making those X-factor, off-script plays, Ohio State can win the national title.
Rankings and analysis via Brett Ciancia’s 2026 Pick Six Previews magazine. Order this year’s season preview edition here.
Join The Silver Bulletin at DICK’s House of Sport in Polaris, OH, on Saturday, August 29, from 12-3 pm for Tailgate Takeover to kick off football season! TSB LIVE returns for an on-site show with special guests previewing Ohio State’s 2026 season. You do not want to miss this event! Register here
Blake Biscardi serves as Co-Founder, Lead Reporter, and Senior Editor of The Silver Bulletin. He hosts the Buckeye Cadence podcast, where he breaks down Ohio State football and basketball with an inside look into the programs. Covering Julian Sayin in New York City in 2025 was his Heisman moment, which became a viral moment in its own right. Biscardi is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and has degrees in Business Administration and Strategic Communication & Leadership.