After an undefeated regular season record in 2025, Ohio State will be going into 2026 with possibly one of its hardest schedules in the program’s history. Ryan Day and the Buckeyes will face games at Texas, USC, Iowa, Indiana and then home games against Oregon and Michigan. All of those teams finished the 2025 season within the Top 25, and the majority of them not only brought back most of their 2025 roster but also had a good number of transfers come in. With all this considered, will 2026 be the toughest schedule in Buckeyes history?
Ohio State’s first challenge will come in Week 2 against the Texas Longhorns in Austin. Last season, Ohio State opened the college football season against Texas and won a close game that finished 14-7. However, with having to replace several players leaving for either the NFL Draft or the transfer portal, the Buckeyes could end up struggling with such an opponent so early in the season.
Their Big Ten schedule isn’t where the problems end either. Their Big Ten road opponents consist of Iowa, Indiana, USC and Nebraska. While their home schedule has them playing Oregon, Michigan, Illinois, Maryland and Northwestern. Nine of the 12 teams they are playing this year made a bowl game or the playoffs in 2025. Seven of those teams had nine-plus wins last year. And their Big Ten opponents went 51-30 in conference play. According to CBS and other early rankings, Ohio State faces as many as four potential top-10 teams in 2026 and may have the single hardest schedule in the Big Ten and in the nation.
This schedule is rough, but is it the hardest in history?
Well, there have definitely been other years when the Buckeyes had hard schedules. Old BCS and playoff runs under Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer had to go through Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin and then top nonconference games like Texas or USC. But what makes 2026 different is the amount of road games against top teams (Texas, USC, Indiana) and then also having to play Oregon and Michigan at home. In past years, Ohio State got tested by maybe two or three truly elite teams, but in 2026, they might have to play five or more games against teams ranked in at least the top 15.
This 2026 slate is at least in the conversation as one of the toughest schedules Ohio State has ever played. But if the Buckeyes survive it with one or two losses, they’ll have one of the strongest resumes in the country.