Why Ohio State can't play it safe anymore in 2026

Many considered Ohio State to have a considerable easy schedule in 2025, in which they finished the regular season undefeated. The same is not true for the Buckeyes in 2026.

Ryan Day and his players will have to travel to Texas, Indiana, USC and Iowa, while also having to play Oregon and Michigan at home. Many of these teams were ranked at the end of the 2025 season and have higher hopes ahead of them in the 2026 season. 

What the Ohio State Buckeyes have to do in 2026

The past two seasons, the Buckeyes leaned in on a more conservative, run-focused and control-based approach for offense, this was so there remained steady for the playoffs. This method worked in the 2024 season, in which they won the national championship. However, it did not work in their favor for the 2025 season due to them being upset by Miami in the second round. 

With a much tougher schedule ahead of Ohio State, can a conservative style offense work when you're playing multiple top 10 teams in the regular season?

The answer is most likely not.

When playing that many good, physical teams, you cannot win every game by playing in the low 20s each week; you need to be able to score 30+ against elite teams. With some of these games happening back-to-back, being "safe" on offense will actually put more pressure on the defense over the course of the season.

In order for the Buckeyes to win these games, their offense will have to evolve from the way it has been these past two seasons. This means more aggression by taking more vertical shots and RPOs. With a quarterback that's had a year's worth of experience in Julian Sayin and some elite receivers such as Jeremiah Smith, Brandon Inniss and Chris Henry Jr., they must take some shots and turn these receivers into true game-changers, not just chain-movers.

What success will look like for Ohio State will be much different from what it looked like this past season. Offense should be aiming for the top five nationally in scoring, not just "good enough." 

They also need a better balance between controlling games and taking risks vs. elite teams.

If they stay conservative, they might end up going 10-2 with no playoff; if they open things up, they have a shot to survive the schedule and make the 12-team field.