I’m hyped to see Ohio State football play a tough schedule in 2026

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 06: Ohio State Buckeyes Quarterback Julian Sayin (10) passes during the Big Ten Conference Championship game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Ohio State Buckeyes on December 6, 2025, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about hype.

What are you most hyped about heading into the 2026-27 season? You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Hype Week” articles here . For much of the last few years, we’ve all heard how Ohio State really hasn’t played anybody.

Even though the Buckeyes opened up the 2025 season against Texas in Columbus, Ryan Day’s team was pretty much on cruise control until the late November trip to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan. The lack of true competition on the schedule hurt Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game and the College Football Playoff since they weren’t really used to not only playing in tight games, but playing from behind. Some people might chime in with “What about the weak 2024 schedule?

”The non-conference portion of Ohio State’s schedule in 2024 was brutal. Scheduling the first three games against Akron, Western Michigan, and Marshall should be a jailable offense. At least the Buckeyes had road trips to Oregon and Penn State later in the season to test their toughness.