Columbus looks nice this time of year, as the Ohio State Buckeyes resume action in around a month, with an offseason of hype about to reach its breaking point. It’s no secret that the scarlet and gray are one of the top dogs in the premier Big Ten, but the competition looks stiff and the roster overhaul both on the field and from the sideline feels impossible to ignore.
Despite the questions of how Ohio State adapts and whether we will see a different version of the Buckeyes not being fully answered, what is becoming evident is the possible problems that could plague the goal of national glory.
What Ohio State Must Avoid To Have a Perfect Season
Overreliance On Stars
Anyone who faces the scarlet and gray next season knows you’ve got to gameplan for wideout Jeremiah Smith and rusher Bo Jackson. Yes, if Ohio State wants to be successful next season, they need big seasons out of that pair. Still, they can’t get trapped into leaning too heavily into that gameplan because of the opponent’s target on neutralizing them.
The Buckeyes are always built on stardom, but what sets them apart is their ability to find contributors between the players they have who are the game’s best. This won’t be an issue; Ohio State’s roster is stacked, but I do worry about whether they have the same level of depth as in previous years to play those roles and open up the field for the Buckeyes’ playmakers. There may be a dependency on that duo to carry the offense every week.
Leaning On Flashy QB Play
For the Buckeyes under center, Julian Sayin has a ceiling and playstyle that are really quite special in the program’s recent history. The former Alabama recruit and gunslinger has great production and the potential to blow the roof off with a single play. Still, Ohio State can’t resort to him becoming the catalyzing figure of it all.
The Buckeyes are strongest when they play as a unit with all of the pieces playing in harmony, not with solos taking over the spotlight. Sayin can rip off the big plays, but he needs to serve Ohio State toward victory rather than go for the highlight every week; it’s what the Buckeyes found success with under passers Kyle McCord and Will Howard, who both opted to slot into the system rather than stand out.
Sayin has the potential to be better than both that pair, but his scrambling ability shows issues, and he still needs full polishing in a system under his third coordinator in three years. He can be more than a system passer, but he needs to drop any ego that may have emerged after his stellar start to his collegiate journey and go in without an urge to prove anything; he still has eligibility after this season to put up the highlight plays for NFL scouts.
Letting Off the Gas At Any Moment
The Ohio State schedule starts rough with a Week 2 non-conference game against Texas, but even if that doesn’t go their way, the Buckeyes have to continue the season at full throttle in what looks like one of the hardest slates in the Big Ten. In three weeks, the Buckeyes play Indiana and USC on the road before Oregon at home – that’s choppy waters to say the least.
Ohio State wants to create some rumblings this year, and starting the season hot and continuing that pursuit of glory is needed from Week 1, given what lies ahead. At the very least, if results fall by the wayside, the Buckeyes still need to echo this sentiment regardless, as the regular season concludes with “The Game” at home, and getting consecutive wins in the all-time series against Michigan is of utmost importance for the program after a four-game skid to start the decade.
Arthur Smith
The Buckeyes appointed their new offensive mind in ousted Pittsburgh Steelers coordinator Arthur Smith, and while he does bring a talented scheme to that side of the ball, one that could flourish, his leash needs to be tight.
Smith utilizes unique blocking schemes that will favor Jackson’s skill set in the backfield, yet in the air his approach seems limited to flowing through versatile tight ends, something Ohio State can’t lean on as a primary source of scores.
The Buckeyes won a national championship with Chip Kelly, who has his own controversial coaching style, and head coach Ryan Day seems to know when to take over and when to hand the reins to his coordinators for playcalling. For Smith, it’s key that they strike the right balance between bringing his talents to the offense and avoiding the same drawbacks fans have seen previously with his teams, which means he and Day need to work out a delicate balance in the early season to determine how this dynamic will operate in 2026.
