Ohio State Will Have a Heavy Hand in Shaping the 2026-27 Postseason
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The Ohio State Buckeyes are going to be a very popular pick to win the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2026-27. The major result of that is that several of their regular-season games are going to have compounding effects across the landscape of college football.
The Buckeyes are going to largely determine what the Playoff looks like, whether they are in it or not.
The Buckeyes are either going to be competing for the National Championship, or they are going to be propelling a team to the National Title. Regardless, they will have their hand on the scale.
On Monday, FOX's Joel Klatt released the 10 games in 2026 that are going to have the most impact on the outcome of the season; three of the 10 were Buckeyes games.
Thoughts on @joelklatt's 10 games that will shape the 2026 season? pic.twitter.com/DAQKtxajly
— The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football on FOX Pod (@JoelKlattShow) June 29, 2026
One could argue that Ohio State could have five or even six of the most important games next year, but that doesn't leave any room for discussion or debate.
The second most impactful game of the season is Week Two down in Austin, Texas, against the Longhorns. This is going to be a heavyweight fight between two of the best programs in the country, both looking to get back to the top of the mountain.
The winner of this game is going to be in the driver's seat to get a great seed in the playoffs. The loser will likely be just fine, but will have little room for error for the rest of their seasons.
The seventh most important game of the year happens in Bloomington, Indiana, on October 17th. The Buckeyes will be taking on the Indiana Hoosiers in a game in which Ohio State will be seeking revenge for the end of the 2025-26 season. It will also be a battle, hopefully, between two top-5 teams.
If either or both have one loss, falling a second time will bring a lot of worry into the minds of the two-loss team.
Finally, the 10th most impactful game of the year happens on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The Buckeyes will host the Michigan Wolverines to try to make it two straight wins in the rivalry game.
The hope is that this game is between two highly ranked teams, but that has not been the case in the last four seasons. Michigan will be much improved this season, but they still have to win games on the field. If they hold up their end of the bargain, this game could be a Top-10 matchup, maybe with the right to go to the Big Ten Championship game, or it could even be a pseudo-playoff game.
The Buckeyes will be playing in three of the 10 most important football games this season, and the fallout from them will shape the College Football Playoff.
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