2026 Northwestern Football Know Your Opponent: Ohio State Buckeyes
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For the third time this season, Northwestern goes on the road to face the potential preseason No. 1 team. First it was Indiana, then Oregon. Now, it’s Ohio State. The Wildcats make the trip to Columbus on Nov. 14 to take on the Buckeyes, who are coming off a disappointing exit in the College Football Playoff. Right now, Ohio State is my No. 1 team in the preseason.
The Basics
Returning Production: 60% overall (71% offense, 50% defense); 31st in FBS
2025 Record: 12-2 (9-0 B1G)
Head Coach: Ryan Day (eighth season)
The Stats
2026 SP+ Overall: 1st
2026 SP+ Offense: 2nd
2026 SP+ Defense: 1st
2026 SP+ Special Teams: 67th
2025 Capsule
Ohio State was on cruise control for the 2025 regular season. After a defensive masterclass in Week 1 against Texas, where the Buckeyes won 14-7, they went on to win by double digits in their next 11 games, finishing the regular season 12-0 and ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll heading into the Big Ten Championship Game. At halftime of the conference championship, Ohio State led Indiana 10-6. That was the last lead the Buckeyes held in the 2025 season. The Hoosiers scored a touchdown to take a 13-10 lead in the third quarter, which became the final score. In the second half, Ohio State got into the red zone twice yet failed to put any points on the board.
Despite the loss, the Buckeyes were still the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff. Against No. 10-seeded Miami, Ohio State fell apart. The Hurricanes jumped to a 14-0 halftime lead thanks to a Julian Sayin pick-six. While the Buckeyes would score to open the second half and continue to put points on the board, it was too late. In both of Ohio State’s two losses in 2025, Sayin was sacked five times. From the offense stalling to the offensive line not holding up, the way the Buckeyes’ season ended overshadowed their regular-season dominance, including snapping a four-loss streak to Michigan.
Offensive Overview
There’s only one right place to start when discussing Ohio State’s offense. Jeremiah Smith. He isn’t just the best wide receiver in college football; he’s the best player in college football. Even though the term “generational” gets thrown around too much in the draft process nowadays, Smith is a true generational talent, drawing comparisons to Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones, and A.J. Green. He is in the conversation for being the best talent at the position to come out of college EVER. Entering the 2026 season, Smith has 163 career receptions, 2,558 career receiving yards and 27 career receiving touchdowns. Despite playing just two seasons, he’s 43 receptions behind Emeka Egbuka, who is the all-time leader in that category for Ohio State. He’s 340 receiving yards behind Michael Jenkins for the most receiving yards in Buckeyes’ history. He’s also eight receiving touchdowns behind Chris Olave, who has the most in Ohio State history. Smith is on pace to not only break these records, but to shatter them. He is truly one of the best weapons the sport has ever seen.
Alongside Smith, Brandon Inniss is also back at receiver for the Buckeyes. He’s entering his fourth season in Columbus and should see his largest role yet, especially with Carnell Tate in the NFL. Ohio State also brought in UTSA transfer Devin McCuin, who is on track to become a Day 1 starter with his play in fall camp thus far. At UTSA, McCuin had 152 receptions for 1,696 yards and 16 touchdowns in 32 career games. If these three WRs aren’t enough, there’s also LSU transfer Kyle Parker, who hasn’t fully practiced yet due to an injury but is coming off a season where he went for 330 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Brock Boyd is a three-star freshman who has been turning heads in camp and has seen some first-team snaps. Lastly, Chris Henry Jr., a blue-chip five-star recruit and the No. 2-ranked WR in the 2026 class, is on this Ohio State roster and could see plenty of targets thrown his way. The Buckeyes continue their tradition of being touted as WR University, with an overabundance of talent in the room.
At tight end, Ohio State has four players who will likely see their fair share of snaps. Nate Roberts is the projected TE1 as he enters his sophomore season. Mason Williams comes over from Ohio, where he was an All-MAC Third-Team selection in 2025. Hunter Welcing transfers in from Northwestern off of the best year of his career, plus he’s experienced and is entering his seventh collegiate season. Bennett Christian returns for his fifth season and projects to be TE3 or TE4 (between him and Welcing) for the Buckeyes. He hasn’t posted big receiving numbers, but he’s a very willing and able blocker that will fit right into Ohio State’s new offensive scheme.
Speaking of new offensive scheme, Brian Hartline is no longer the offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes after he accepted the head coaching job at South Florida. Arthur Smith is taking his place, with years of experience as an offensive coordinator and head coach in the NFL. His offenses have typically been physical, run-heavy schemes that are designed to punch defenses in the mouth and set up play-action.
It was assumed Bo Jackson would be the surefire RB1 and bell-cow back in Arthur Smith’s scheme, but so far, Isaiah West has seen more first-team reps. Jackson ran for over 1,000 yards last season while West had just over 300, so the foundation is set either way, with both backs likely to be featured heavily.
At quarterback, Julian Sayin is back for his second season as the starter. In 2025, Sayin was eighth in the country in passing yards (3,610), fourth in touchdown passes (32) and led the FBS with a 77.0 completion percentage—the third-highest in a single season in college football history. He will continue to build his connection with Jeremiah Smith as he looks to elevate his game even further. Oh, and Sayin has been working on scrambling all offseason, which was his biggest weakness in 2025.
Last but not least, the offensive line for Ohio State. In 2025, the O-line was the weak point for the Buckeyes’ offense, but only when going up against the best-of-the-best defenses. Ohio State returns four starters from last year’s offensive line: Phillip Daniels, Austin Siereveld, Carson Hinzman and Luke Montgomery. Siereveld, Hinzman and Montgomery are penciled in to start, while the two remaining are more up in the air. Ian Moore, Josh Padilla and Daniels are the three players who seem to be in the mix for the remaining two spots on the O-line. Moore has received tremendous praise within the Ohio State organization, so I would think he gets the nod, likely at left tackle. This offensive line is still among the best in the country, despite the late-season struggles in 2025.
This Ohio State offense has a new offensive coordinator whose identity is to run it down the opponent’s throats. Pair that with a talented RB committee, an offensive line that should be great once again and two Heisman Trophy candidates in Sayin and Jeremiah Smith, and this offense is going to be ELITE once again.
Defensive Overview
Matt Patricia is entering his second season as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator. In 2025, his unit finished as the No. 1 defense in all of college football. The Buckeyes lost several key players this offseason, including seven taken in the 2026 NFL Draft, three of whom were selected in the top 11, but that doesn’t change the fact that Ohio State’s defense should still be elite.
Starting with the defensive line, Eddrick Houston has been a star so far in fall camp at defensive tackle. He has first-round potential and will be a force on the interior. James Smith also projects to be a starter for the Buckeyes after transferring in from Alabama. Ohio State also brought in John Walker from UCF to pair alongside Will Smith Jr. as the projected nose tackles. The Buckeyes have four quality players who will rotate on their interior defensive line, giving them flexibility and the ability to keep them fresh for a potential deep playoff run. Either way, it’s hard to bet against this defensive line with Larry Johnson as the coach. Moving to edge rusher/defensive end, it seems like this could finally be the year for Kenyatta Jackson Jr. Beau Atkinson has also looked the part in fall camp as he continues to try and play at the level he did back in 2024 at North Carolina. Alongside projected starters Jackson Jr. and Atkinson, Alabama transfer Qua Russaw brings a different element that will be especially interesting to watch play out in Patricia’s defense, with him being a pass-rush specialist. There’s also Zion Grady and Epi Sitanilei entering their second years, and both will likely see their fair share of playing time. The last name to bring up is high four-star Khary Wilder, who has loads of potential and will be fighting for playing time right away.
At linebacker, the Buckeyes lost Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles, both of whom were drafted in the top seven in the 2026 NFL Draft. Payton Pierce does return and is now the leader of this linebacker room, and I’d be shocked if he doesn’t start the season as the Mike. Riley Pettijohn will likely fill the starting role that Pierce had last year, with his role varying week-to-week depending on Ohio State’s opponent. At Will linebacker, the Buckeyes brought in Christian Alliegro from Wisconsin. While he was benched late in the 2025 season, he has the raw skills and athleticism to be a big contributor, especially with his role in fall camp combining off-ball linebacker skills with pass-rushing ability. Tarvos “TJ” Alford has emerged as of late and could potentially start for the Buckeyes this season as well with his play this fall. Overall, it’s a deep group that is trying to replace production from one of the elite LB duos the sport has seen this decade.
In the secondary, not having Caleb Downs anymore is a big blow after he was drafted No. 11 by the Dallas Cowboys. To replace some of that production and match Downs’ skillset, Ohio State brought in Earl Little Jr. from Florida State. He could slot in at free safety, as well as play in the star role as nickelback. Jaylen McClain returns to remain the starting strong safety for the Buckeyes, the only difference being that he won’t be playing next to Downs. Still, McClain was a massive bright spot for Ohio State last year and he should be even better in 2026. The Buckeyes also brought in Terry Moore from Duke, who missed all of last year with an injury but was a Second-Team All-ACC selection in 2024. He’ll see plenty of playing time, likely at free safety if Little Jr. does, in fact, play the star role. Even so, having a former All-Conference player as a depth piece is not normal. At cornerback, Devin Sanchez and Jermaine Matthews Jr. return and could easily slot in as the boundary starters. Sanchez could very well put himself in the conversation as the best cornerback in the country this season with his growing ceiling, so I’d be surprised if he isn’t starting Day 1. Matthews Jr. could also see time playing at the star spot for the Buckeyes, but more than likely he will start opposite Sanchez. Cam Calhoun was brought in from Alabama, along with Dominick Kelly from Georgia, and both are pushing for potential starting roles, or at least high-profile backup roles. Four-star Jordan Thomas could also see playing time at corner, but it’s Jay Timmons who has been the defensive star in fall camp. Timmons is the first true freshman to shed the black stripe for Ohio State this year and the third player overall. In the fall practices open to the media, he was starting at the nickel/star spot and could become the third true freshman to win a starting job on Day 1 for the Buckeyes, joining Denzel Burke and Jeremiah Smith. So, even with the losses of Downs, Lorenzo Styles and Davison Igbinosun, the Buckeyes’ secondary looks like it could be one of the top units in the FBS.
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