From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about hype. What are you most hyped about heading into the 2026-27 season? You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Hype Week” articles here.
For much of the last few years, we’ve all heard how Ohio State really hasn’t played anybody. Even though the Buckeyes opened up the 2025 season against Texas in Columbus, Ryan Day’s team was pretty much on cruise control until the late November trip to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan. The lack of true competition on the schedule hurt Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game and the College Football Playoff since they weren’t really used to not only playing in tight games, but playing from behind.
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Some people might chime in with “What about the weak 2024 schedule?”The non-conference portion of Ohio State’s schedule in 2024 was brutal. Scheduling the first three games against Akron, Western Michigan, and Marshall should be a jailable offense. At least the Buckeyes had road trips to Oregon and Penn State later in the season to test their toughness. I still don’t think the schedule did much to help them win the national title; it was more a product of the loss to Michigan and the reflection that happened after the defeat.
Ohio State’s schedule in 2026 looks like its toughest in quite some time, and I’m pumped to see how it plays out. Road games at Texas, Iowa, Indiana, USC, and Nebraska are going to be fun to watch, while the Buckeyes will welcome Illinois, Oregon, and Michigan to Ohio Stadium. Instead of last year, when we didn’t really know how good Ohio State was heading into the Big Ten Championship Game, we are going to find out pretty early on where they stand this season.
Even though there are over 50 new players on this year’s team, the core of this squad has a lot to prove after last year’s disappointing finish. Julian Sayin was a Heisman Trophy finalist, but it feels like a lot of people are forgetting just how good he was in 2025 because of how the season finished. Jeremiah Smith will be hungry to wrap up his Buckeye career with another title since he undoubtedly will be the first wide receiver taken if he declares for the 2027 NFL Draft. The offensive line will likely be playing angrily after how poorly they played in the final two games of 2025.
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Another reason I’m excited to see how the Buckeyes do against this year’s schedule is that who knows what scheduling in the future is going to look like in college football? With the expansion of the College Football Playoff, we likely aren’t going to see big non-conference games like we’ll get when Ohio State and Texas battle, since there won’t be much incentive for teams to schedule marquee games like that. Why wouldn’t teams avoid tough non-conference games if they know they can just cruise to the CFP with a few cupcakes and whatever their conference schedule holds?
I would much rather the playoff be smaller, and we have more compelling non-conference games during the regular season. At least the regular-season blockbusters would likely be on campus, and now we know that everything beyond the first-round games in the College Football Playoff is played at neutral sites. The second Ohio State game I attended was the 2005 game against Texas in Columbus, and even though the Buckeyes lost, it’ll be a night I’ll never forget because of the passion all the fans in attendance displayed.
In a way, the last few years have become way too predictable when it comes to watching Ohio State during the regular season. In over half the games, you really only have to tune in for about a half, and by that time you’ll be able to get on with your day. At times, it can almost become a little too repetitive. I want a little bit of suspense sometimes. I want to see what players are going to step up and take over a game that hangs in the balance.
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I’m sure I’ll regret being excited about a tough schedule when I look back at this article after the regular season is over. There’s just a lot to look forward to when it comes to opponents and storylines. Ohio State’s second-ever trip to Austin. The first game against USC as a Big Ten foe, along with Oregon’s first trip to Columbus as a conference opponent. The trip to Lincoln in November won’t be easy, especially since it’ll be the week before The Game. To top it all off, a showdown with last year’s national champs in Bloomington in the Big Ten Game of the Year!
If Ohio State ends the regular season at something like 9-3, I’d be fine with it since at least they’d be doing so against what is looking like tough competition. If they went 9-3 in 2025, it would have been a real problem since, aside from Texas, they didn’t really play anyone. Maybe having more big games to look forward to this year will keep the team and fan base on their toes a little more, since, at times, the last few years, it felt like there has been some complacency just because of the subpar schedule. A little extra juice might be what ends up pushing the Buckeyes to their second national title in the last three seasons.
