Michigan Football 2026 Opponent Preview: Ohio State
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Ryan Day is 79-12 overall as the Ohio State head coach and has never won less than 11 games in a season (excluding 2020) since taking over in 2019. Sigh. As a program, the Buckeyes have not won less than 11 games in 15 years, and still, their over/under this season has been set at 9.5.
Ohio State was the best team in the country for most of last season and is only two years removed from its lone national championship of the Day era. Is this going to be a down year — “less than 10 wins”— like Day and a generation of fans have never experienced? Or are the Buckeyes going to continue a trend of success on par with the reliability of death and taxes?
Let’s take a closer look at the team from Columbus.
Coaching Staff
- Head Coach: Ryan Day (Eighth season)
- Offensive Coordinator: Arthur Smith (First season) and Keenan Bailey (Second season)
- Defensive Coordinator: Matt Patricia (Second season) and Tim Walton (Second season)
2025 Record
- 12-2 (9-0) Second in the Big Ten
2025 Production Ranks
- Scoring Offense: 21st (Fifth in the Big Ten)
- Total Offense: 26th (Fourth in the Big Ten)
- Scoring Defense: First (First in the Big Ten)
- Total Defense: First (First in the Big Ten)
2025 TL;DR Recap
After a seven-point opening weekend victory over Texas, Ohio State won its next 11 games by an average of 31 points per game to go undefeated in the regular season. The Buckeyes secured their first win over Michigan since 2019 and entered the College Football Playoff as the overwhelming top team in the country. But losses to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship and Miami in the opening round of the CFP soured a chance to be only the fourth repeat national champions since 1995.
Key Departures
- WR Carnell Tate (51 receptions, 875 yards, 13 total touchdowns)
- LB Arvell Reese (69 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks)
- LB Sonny Styles (82 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception)
- S Caleb Downs (68 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions, two forced fumbles)
- DT Kayden McDonald (65 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles)
- TE Max Klare (43 receptions, 448 yards, two touchdowns)
- CB Davison Igbinosun (53 tackles, two interceptions)
- DE Caden Curry (66 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks)
- RB C.J. Donaldson (361 rushing yards, 11 total touchdowns)
- Offensive Coordinator Brian Hartline
Key Returners
- QB Julian Sayin (3,610 yards, 77 percent completion percentage, 32 touchdowns, eight interceptions)
- WR Jeremiah Smith (87 receptions, 1,243 yards, 13 total touchdowns)
- RB Bo Jackson Jr. (1,090 rushing yards, seven total touchdowns)
- DE Kenyatta Jackson (28 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks)
- C Carson Hinzman (First-team All-American)
- G Luke Montgomery (Second-team All-Big Ten)
- OT Austin Siereveld (Second-team All-Big Ten)
- CB Jermaine Matthews Jr. (26 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions)
Key Transfer Additions
- S Earl Little Jr. (Florida State)
- DT James Smith (Alabama)
- S Terry Moore (Duke)
- LB Christian Alliegro (Wisconsin)
- DE Qua Russaw (Alabama)
- TE Hunter Welcing (Northwestern)
Preseason Preview & Record Predictions
Per Athlon:
“It’s a close call between the Buckeyes, Indiana and Oregon for the No. 1 spot in the Big Ten in 2026. Coach Ryan Day’s squad gets a slight nod over the Hoosiers and Ducks, but all three teams are in the top tier of national championship contenders. Receiver Jeremiah Smith and quarterback Julian Sayin headline a dynamic offense, while Day hopes the arrival of new play-caller Arthur Smith, along with an experienced offensive line, provide a little more production on the ground. Sophomore running back Bo Jackson is primed for a breakout year after rushing for 1,090 yards in ‘25. Ohio State’s defense suffocated opponents in coordinator Matt Patricia’s debut in Columbus last fall by holding teams to 9.3 points a game and four yards a play. This unit has major holes to fill with safety Caleb Downs, linebackers Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles, and linemen Caden Curry and Kayden McDonald off to the NFL. However, the cupboard isn’t bare for Patricia. Senior Kenyatta Jackson is back up front, with Alabama transfers James Smith and Qua Russaw providing support. Sophomore Devin Sanchez is a rising star on the back end. He joins Jermaine Mathews Jr. to form a standout duo at cornerback. Even though there’s turnover, expect Patricia to find the right answers on defense.”
CBS: 10-2
CFN: 12-1
ESPN FPI: 10.2-2.4
Sports Illustrated: Over 9.5 wins
Maize n Brew Thoughts
Similar to Michigan, Ohio State plays one of the toughest schedule in the country. The Buckeyes play at Texas in Week 2, host Oregon and Michigan, and have conference road games against Iowa, USC and Indiana. Brutal. But betting against Day to win less than 10 games has proven foolish. Even when the knives were the sharpest facing Tennessee in the CFP, Day rallied his team from the depths of hell to reach the mountaintop.
The 2026 schedule is interesting because, similar to 2021 and 2024, it features the only two teams to have ever beaten Day and the Buckeyes in the regular season: Oregon and Michigan. However, historically, that just means they are going to win every other game. The offense is balanced, experienced, and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith might win the Heisman Trophy. Defensively, there are myriad unknowns, but there is never a shortage of uber-athletic talent just waiting in the wings in Columbus. But make no mistake, Ohio State is going to be a force in the Big Ten despite the question marks on defense.
Ohio State will once again be one of the best teams in the country and likely enters The Game with one razor-thin loss along the way. The Buckeyes will be favored in Columbus — despite not having beaten the Wolverines in The Shoe since 2018, just saying — and pundits will argue about whether Kyle Whittingham appreciates the rivalry enough to win. But none of that matters.
Since 2000, the winner of the rushing battle has won the game. Death, taxes, and an entire season coming down to the trenches. Is it November yet?
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