As Ohio State Begins 2026 Football Season, Are the Buckeyes Better Than Last Year?

Are the Ohio State Buckeyes better heading into this season than they were at this time last year?

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day watches during football training camp inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in Columbus on Aug. 7, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ohio State will kick off its 2026 season on Saturday vs. Ball State at 12:30 p.m. ET at Ohio Stadium, and the Buckeyes have high expectations to win the national championship.

But is this year's Buckeyes team better than last season? Unfortunately, no, at the moment.

The Buckeyes are not better right now than they were at this time last season

Ohio State came off a national championship heading into last season, and it had great players all over the defense. The Buckeyes had one of the best players in all of college football in safety Caleb Downs, and linebacker Sonny Styles was right there with him. Linebacker Arvell Reese emerged last season and was actually drafted higher than both Downs and Styles this year.

Ohio State has too many unknown pieces on defense to believe that the Buckeyes are better right now than they were at this time last year. However, that could change a few weeks into the season, as the defense does have a handful of upperclassmen. But some of them have never played for Ohio State before, having come over through the transfer portal this offseason.

The offense is expected to improve compared to last season, as quarterback Julian Sayin enters his second year as the starter. But the Buckeyes will need someone to step up and fill Carnell Tate's role at wide receiver.

Tate and Jeremiah Smith were one of the best receiving duos in college football last season; now that Tate is in the NFL, Smith will need a partner to run with.

Ohio State could have Brandon Inniss, UTSA transfer Devin McCuin, or even true freshman wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. be that guy. Until someone fills that role, it's going to be hard to envision the passing offense being better this season.

The running game should be great as Bo Jackson and Isaiah West are both heading into their second season with the Buckeyes after being true freshmen last season.

Even though Jackson and West were freshmen last season, they quickly claimed the running back room and became the No. 1 and No. 2 backs on the roster toward the end of the year.

Ohio State has too many unknowns right now, but the Buckeyes could figure it out when they travel to take on Texas in Week 2.

Big-time players show up in big-time games, so it will be interesting to see which new faces step up in Austin in a few weeks.