5 Things the Ohio State Buckeyes Need To Achieve vs Ball State in Week 1

The Ohio State Buckeye’s 2026 season will kickoff this Saturday, when the Nation’s top-ranked team plays host to the Ball State Cardinals.

As the Buckeyes begin their path through what some have described as the country’s most difficult schedule, Ohio State’s main objective is still very clear: the National Championship.

Here are five things the Buckeyes need to achieve in their Week 1 matchup against the Cardinals to get the ball rolling on another season where expectations can’t get much higher.

Win the game

Sounds simple enough, but the Buckeyes can’t afford to look past anyone if they don’t want to suddenly turn into the 2007 Wolverines.

That being said, Ohio State is a -50.5 favorite for the game. The Buckeyes should be able to put the game away fairly quickly in front of their home crowd, keeping their nation-leading 26-straight opening game winning streak alive. .

This will be the first matchup ever against Ball State in school history, and the Buckeyes haven’t lost to any of the current MAC members since 1894.

Win comfortably, but don’t overdo it

Ohio State can’t get caught up with the scoreline, no matter what the spread says. The Buckeyes need to build a comfortable lead and find a way to put the game away quickly, controlling the tempo of the game from start to finish.

Nobody needs an 80-point win in Week 1, because no trophies are handed out for style points in Week 1. If for some reason Ohio State doesn’t cover, it shouldn’t be an issue.

Get out healthy

This absolutely ties in with winning comfortably. Ohio State needs to put the game out of reach -- within reason -- early, and start subbing key players out. The last thing the Buckeyes need is for one of their star players being lost for the season.

Ohio State faces one of the toughest schedules in all of football, so pacing themselves is a must. It will also be very beneficial to have some of the second- and third-stringers get some live action early in the season, just in case.

Show as little as possible

No disrespect to the Cardinals, but this game shouldn’t warrant an extensive playcalling sheet. Keep some aces up your sleeve -- especially on defense -- for the heavier hitters, starting with a trip to Austin for Week 2.

If you’re gonna make mistakes, now is the time

Everyone should want a clean game to kick off the season, but if your team is going to get flagged for jumping offsides and other minor issues, better get it out of the way now.

Like we stated before, the Buckeyes should by no means look past the Cardinals, but the Longhorns will demand another level of performance and execution in Week 2. Ohio State can get away with minor infractions now, as they finish fine-tuning details for the harder stretches of their campaign.

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