ESPN picks Ohio State’s toughest test in 2026, and it’s not Texas clash

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Ohio State enters the 2026 season as one of the leading College Football Playoff contenders, with ESPN Analytics giving the Buckeyes a 75.7% chance to reach the 12-team field and a 17.1% chance to win the national championship. After finishing 12-2 last season, Ohio State returns veteran quarterback Julian Sayin and a roster which has enough talent to compete for another national title.

The Buckeyes’ Week 2 road matchup at Texas may be the more high-profile game, but their trip to USC on Oct. 31 would be their most difficult regular-season challenge, according to ESPN. Ohio State will travel to Los Angeles after an Oct. 17 road game against defending national champion Indiana, though the Buckeyes will have a bye week before facing the Trojans. USC, meanwhile, will return home after playing at Wisconsin.

Ohio State will face consecutive top-25-caliber opponents with road games at Indiana and USC before hosting Oregon on Nov. 7. A 2-1 record during that three-game run would likely keep the Buckeyes in favorable playoff position regardless of the outcome against the Longhorns, per ESPN. However, multiple road losses could damage that outlook, as Ohio State also visits Iowa and Texas.

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The Buckeyes’ expectations are also apparent through national award recognition. Ohio State is the only Big Ten program with three players on the 2026 Maxwell Award Preseason Watch List: Sayin, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and running back Bo Jackson.

Sayin returns as the only returning Maxwell Award finalist after completing 77% of his passes in 2025, a Big Ten record and the best single-season mark in school history. He threw for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns while leading the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff and was also a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Smith earned Maxwell semifinalist honors in 2025 after finishing with 2,558 receiving yards and 27 touchdown catches through his first two collegiate seasons, the highest by any Big Ten receiver over that span. Jackson joined the watch list after rushing for more than 1,000 yards as a true freshman in 2025, making him one of only three true freshmen nationwide to reach that milestone.

Ohio State’s fall camp begins this week, with open practices scheduled for Aug. 6-8 from 9 a.m. to noon each day at the Harmon Family Football Complex inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

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ESPN picks Ohio State’s toughest test in 2026, and it’s not Texas clash

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