Buckeys

Challenges Ohio State Football Faces the Rest of Season and How They Should Be Navigated

Ohio State now finds itself squarely in a six-week gauntlet that has been anticipated since the release of the 2026 schedule. The stretch will unfold as follows post-Indiana: BYE, @USC and then Oregon, Northwestern, @Nebraska and Michigan. With Northwestern being one of the biggest surprises in college football this year, all five of OSU’s remaining opponents sit inside the top 32 in the FPI rankings as of this week. We are going to find out what this OSU team is truly made of as depth will be as important as ever. Improved Discipline Ohio State ranks 68th in the country when it comes to penalties per game, averaging nearly 7 per game. The matchup against Maryland was no exception either as OSU committed 8 penalties for 65 yards and Ryan Day was not hiding his displeasure on the sidelines throughout the contest. On one particular drive, a roughing the passer penalty bailed Maryland out on third down. Then on following drive, Maryland found some succcess moving the ball into their red zone. When the Buckeyes had a chance to bow up and force a field goal, they instead committed back-to-back penalties that allowed the Terps to easily punch it in and cut OSU’s lead to 14-10 early. Against Indiana, Ohio State only committed 4 penalties, but they were costly ones. Jermaine Mathew’s roughing the passer. Holding call to take the offense out of field goal range and Luke Fahey’s intentional grounding were all costly mistakes. Even though OSU came out with the win, there was a slew of errors that kept Indiana within striking distance all game. OSU’s depth was certainly tested against Indiana. The status of Julian Sayin is still unknown and coach Day as alluded to the fact that they trust Luke Fahey moving forward. With that said, Ryan Day wants his team to be a “four quarter” football team. Being able to sustain focus and play smart football for four quarters will be a major key to watch if Ohio State wants to take care of business during this stretch, no matter who ends up taking the field for Coach Day. Otherwise, The Buckeyes could find themselves unable to manage or finish games during a period of time where they can’t afford to. Sustain Run Game Arthur Smith offenses are notorious for being with predicated on and creative in the run game, going back to his days calling plays for the Tennessee Titans with Derick Henry. Although OSU got off to a fairly slow start running the ball this year, the results have steadily improved, particularly in Big Ten play. In the past four games, Ohio State’s leading rushers (Bo Jackson, Ja’Kobi Jackson and/or Isaiah West) have combined for 109, 142, 183 and then 101 yards against a stout Indiana run defense. Considering The Buckeyes are now depending on backup QB Luke Fahey for the foreseeable future, have this run game peaking at the right time is essential. Keeping the pressure off of Fahey and not allowing defenses to pin their ears back on him is a must moving forward. With that, the offense should be able to operate at a high enough level to make it through the regular season as a playoff team, assuming Luke is able to protect the football. Defense Wins Championships What Matt Patricia has been able to do with his unit after losing so much talent to the NFL has been remarkable. Ohio State’s defense currently ranks No. 4 nationally in both opponent yards (264.3) and opponent points per game (13.4). It wasn’t always easy for the defense, as pass rush was a major issue up until Big Ten play and the Illinois game exposed the defense with a handful of big plays. However, since then this unit has essentially been lights out. The pass rush, although not quite where it needs to be, has improved dramatically. Particularly with the surge of guys like Qua Russaw and Eddrick Houston. Defensive Back blitzes have also been a useful way to apply pressure, as evident with Jaylen McClain making a huge strip sack against Indiana and even Jermaine Mathews hitting Josh Hoover on the questionable roughing the passer penalty. Being able to successfully apply this pressure was the missing link in what has now become an elite defensive unit. With so much unknown and inexperience leading the offense, this defense will be even more important. If the offense isn’t able to sustain success or takes time to gel under Fahey, The Buckeyes may have to win games with defense, much like they arguably did in Bloomington. Ohio State certainly has their work cut out for them as they navigate the next five games with a winded roster. Injuries are part of the game though and any team on OSU’s schedule is going to dedicate game plans to exploit this. The coaching staff has done an exceptional job thus far, but the challenges have only grown in difficulty. This bye week couldn’t come at a better time for the Buckeyes.
October 19, 2026
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After surviving a thriller in Bloomington, Ohio State now faces replacing Julian Sayin and navigating a challenging five-game stretch. Ohio State now faces a five-week gauntlet that has been anticipated since the 2026 schedule dropped. The stretch will unfold as follows post-Indiana: Idle, @USC, Oregon, Northwestern, @Nebraska, and Michigan. With Northwestern being one of the biggest surprises in college football this year, all five of OSU’s remaining opponents sit inside…

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