It is finally game week and No. 2 Ohio State opens its highly anticipated season against Akron on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. This seems like the best opportunity to give my game-by-game predictions for a season in which the majority of The athleteThe college football staff believes the Buckeyes will win the national championship.
The more I watched Ohio State in training camp, the more optimistic I became about this season. The offense needs to find its rhythm in the first month without much competition, but that’s OK because watching the defense, I don’t know how teams will score consistently against the Buckeyes.
I can think of only a few offenses that can really test this defense, and Oregon is one of them. How far can Ohio State go? Let’s dive in and see.
It’s the first game of the season and while expectations are high, we still have a lot to learn about the Buckeyes. We’ll get our first look at the backfield of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins. Ohio State will win here.
Forecast: Ohio State, 55-7.
Another game that will be all about testing Ohio State’s early-season form, and the Buckeyes should come out on top.
Forecast: Ohio State, 48-10.
Week 3: Idle
Week 4: Marshall
The Thundering Herd are a little better than the first two teams, having been bowl-qualified each of the last seven seasons. Still, this shouldn’t be a contest for the Buckeyes, especially since they have two weeks to prepare. They win this one by a wide margin.
Forecast: Ohio State, 42-7.
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Ohio State’s first road game — and first Big Ten game — shouldn’t be a big problem. New Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith has his hands full rebuilding the program, and while I like Aidan Chiles at quarterback, the Spartans shouldn’t pose much of a threat.
Forecast: Ohio State, 35-14.
This will be the first big test. Iowa has one of the best defenses in the country, is a potential playoff bubble team, and will be well positioned despite losing star corner Cooper DeJean to the NFL. Iowa’s offense should be better under new coordinator Tim Lester, but not good enough to score consistently against the Buckeyes.
Forecast: Ohio State, 28-10.
This could be the game of the year in the Big Ten. Everything Ohio State does in the first six weeks leads to the trip to Eugene.
Oregon has the best offense in the Big Ten and Ohio State arguably has the best defense. They are two of the top three teams in the country and it should be a classic. I’m not convinced Oregon’s defense can compete at the highest level, but I think Heisman favorite Dillon Gabriel wins because Ohio State’s offense is still trying to find its rhythm in big games.
The Buckeyes return to Columbus with their first loss of the season and Ryan Day has a few things to correct before the week off.
Forecast: Oregon, 31-28.
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Ohio State defeated Oregon in January 2015 to win the national title. (Kyle Terada / USA Today)
Week 8: Idle
The game could be better than people think. Nebraska should improve on defense and quarterback Dylan Raiola has the potential to be a five-star. Ohio State fans won’t be giving Raiola a warm welcome considering he withdrew his commitment to the Buckeyes. But Howard and the Buckeyes bounced back with a big win over a Nebraska team that has a loaded schedule and could come to town at 6-1 or even 7-0.
Forecast: Ohio State, 31-17.
Penn State is probably the second-best team on Ohio State’s schedule right now. As usual, the Nittany Lions’ defense should be excellent, and edge player Abdul Carter could be a problem for Ohio State. But the Buckeyes’ secondary should be the difference maker. I expect Drew Allar to improve in his second year as Penn State’s starting quarterback, but he doesn’t have the talent as a receiver to win consistently up front.
Forecast: Ohio State, 28-14.
This should be a fast game for the Buckeyes. Purdue is difficult to predict with such a new roster, but the Buckeyes should have no problems at home after beating Penn State.
Forecast: Ohio State, 41-10.
Week 12: at Northwestern
At least this is an interesting game because it is being played at Wrigley Field. If there are no weather complications, the Buckeyes will leave Chicago with an easy win like they did in the 2022 game.
Forecast: Ohio State, 35-7.
The game before Michigan can produce slip-ups – the 43-30 win at Maryland in 2022 is one example – but I expect it to be more like the 37-3 win over Minnesota last year. Ohio State should have no trouble against an Indiana team that is unlikely to make a bowl game.
Forecast: Ohio State, 35-3.
Week 14: Michigan
Day can’t lose this game. He just can’t.
Although Michigan is weaker compared to last year’s national champion team, it still boasts one of the best defenses in the country, led by cornerback Will Johnson. Running backs coach Tony Alford returns to Columbus after leaving the Buckeyes for the same job at Michigan, which only intensifies the rivalry.
Right now, the difference is on offense. With both teams ranked among the top five defenses in the country, Ohio State’s offense has more firepower to break down opposing defenses than Michigan does. I like Howard more than Alex Orji and the running back duo of Henderson and Judkins more than Michigan’s Donovan Edwards, who needs to be more consistent this year. Ohio State ends its three-game losing streak against Michigan.
Forecast: Ohio State, 30-21.
Big Ten title game against Oregon
I don’t expect Oregon to stay undefeated in the Big Ten even if they beat Ohio State. The Ducks have to go to Michigan and Wisconsin in November, and I think they’ll lose at least one of those. But they shouldn’t lose both, because that would mean a rematch with the Buckeyes.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning and Day need this win for a variety of reasons. This would be a crucial win, and winning the Big Ten title in the Ducks’ first year would be great. Plus, sweeping Ohio State would be impressive.
As for Day, Ohio State has been pushing hard to reclaim the Big Ten this year, and a loss would only reinforce criticism that it can’t win the big thing. This game also has recruiting implications, as the Buckeyes and Ducks have often recruited against each other over the past few cycles. However, I think Ohio State can do it. It’s the more talented team and won’t be playing on the road this time. In a dome, I’m betting on a high-scoring game.
Forecast: Ohio State, 42-38.
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Thoughts on the College Football Playoff
I’m not going to make playoff predictions for each round here, as they depend largely on the matchups. If Ohio State wins the Big Ten, it will still have a first-round bye and can at least make the quarterfinals. But this team is too talented to be satisfied with a quarterfinal berth.
Beating Michigan and winning a Big Ten title are important goals, but the season cannot be called a success if the Buckeyes are not at least in the semifinals.
They should be able to do it and more. Without knowing the pairings, I’ll take Ohio State as my preseason national championand defeated Georgia in the title game.
I think the defense, barring injuries, is too strong and has no real weaknesses. There’s a real chance every defensive lineman is in the NFL in the next two years, and we view this group as one of the best we’ve seen at Ohio State in a long time.
Jim Knowles’ group will carry the Buckeyes, but the offense will be better than people think. Chip Kelly will be a difference-maker, especially in the postseason, with his ability to develop new game plans for new opponents. I also believe Howard will have a better year than some expect, and with an improved offensive line, this team will be hard to stop once it gets going.
It might take a while to see how good this team is, as the schedule isn’t that demanding to begin with, but if Ohio State puts it all together, Day will hoist its first national championship — Ohio State’s first in a decade — and the pressure on Day’s shoulders would be gone.
(Top photo of Ryan Day: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
Ohio State Buckeyes
