The 2026 college football season has not started yet, and Ohio State is already the team to beat.
The Buckeyes come in as the projected preseason No. 1 in most early rankings, including ESPN’s FPI, and are the odds-on favorite to reach the College Football Playoff in most futures markets. Vegas has them at +550 to win the national championship, which is short enough that it hurts to bet.
Ryan Day’s team is loaded again. That has been the story of Ohio State for the last decade. Ryan Day is loaded again.
The engine of this Buckeyes roster is on offense. Quarterback Julian Sayin is entering his second year as the starter and has legitimate Heisman odds. He was a five-star recruit out of Carlsbad, California, and last year he threw for 3,400 yards with 28 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions as a redshirt freshman. Now the offense is his.
His No. 1 target is Jeremiah Smith, the best wide receiver in college football. Smith went for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns last year as a sophomore. He is a certified freak: 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, and runs a 4.4. He is going to be a top-five pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. He is the closest thing to peak Julio Jones we have seen at the college level in the last 15 years.
The offensive line lost a couple of key pieces but returns All-Big Ten center Carson Hinzman and left tackle Josh Simmons. Running back Quinshon Judkins is gone (he was drafted in the second round), but transfer portal addition Malachi Ward from Colorado is expected to slot in as the RB1.
The defense is where the concerns are, if there are any. Ohio State lost a bunch of NFL Draft talent up front, including defensive ends Tyleik Williams and JT Tuimoloau. Defensive coordinator Larry Johnson has to reload, and there are real questions about whether the Buckeyes can generate a consistent pass rush. That is going to be the key variable in whether this team wins a national title.
The schedule sets up beautifully. Ohio State opens with Texas (yes, that Texas), which is a massive September game. But after that, the schedule cools off. The Big Ten slate has some traps (a road trip to Penn State in October, a home game against Oregon in November), but the Buckeyes will be favored in every game.
The competition is stiff. Oregon is projected as the No. 2 team and returns quarterback Dante Moore. Notre Dame has CJ Carr and legitimate national title expectations. Texas brings back Arch Manning, who is now firmly the Heisman betting favorite. And defending national champion Indiana (still weird to type) is going to be a chic pick to repeat.
But Ohio State is the pick. They have the best receiver in college football, a rising quarterback, elite depth on both sides of the ball, and a coaching staff that has learned every lesson from getting knocked out early in the last few playoff appearances.
Book it. Buckeyes in the semis.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
