Three Ways Ohio State Football Should Be Better in 2026

The Ohio State Buckeyes are on a collision course for revenge this season after falling short of consecutive national titles with a Cotton Bowl loss to the eventual national champion runners-up Miami Hurricanes just before the clock turned from 2025 into the New Year.

Whether the pressure is off coach Ryan Day to chase perfection (or on given that the standard of excellence in Columbus is to be nearly flawless), the objectives still remain the same: control the line of scrimmage, let quarterback Julian Sayin and star wideout Jeremiah Smith strengthen an already-electrifying connection through the air and win the games you're supposed to in order to leave the College Football Playoff committee no burning questions following Thanksgiving.

In a nutshell, the Buckeyes should be a better team this fall. The why's are still debatable, but narrowing it down, here are three reasons why Buckeye Nation should feel great about this year's team.

1. Julian Sayin and Arthur Smith's Connection

It's not easy adapting to a new system, much less to a pairing with no prior experience working together. But new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Sayin have an opportunity to accomplish exactly that in their first year as a duo. Smith's NFL experience working with several high-profile quarterbacks, including Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins and Ryan Tannehill could pay huge dividends for Sayin as he continues to add game film for a potential NFL career down the line.

“There are some differences, but a lot of it is just learning how he wants things done and how he sees certain concepts,” Sayin told reporters last month. “It’s been good for us.”

We'll see how the new regime plays out, but it's safe to assume that there is good reason to be optimistic about their relationship this upcoming fall.

2. Rematches With Texas Longhorns, Michigan Wolverines

Although both games are two of the most-anticipated on the Buckeyes' schedule, both could go a long way in determining their College Football Playoff fate. Ohio State won both games this past season, as Wolverines then-freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood was under durest all day on a gloomy Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor. Rewinding three months earlier, Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning failed to deliver a would-be Heisman Trophy-type message in Columbus as the Buckeyes escaped with the early-season win.

Having already won both games this past season, there is little reason to suggest they couldn't duplicate the same success once again.

3. Another Crack At Indiana – Foreshadowing Big Ten Title Rematch?

In what could be the game of the year, the Buckeyes and Hoosiers lock horns again this October in what could be a swing game for not only the Big Ten regular season title, but CFP seeding. It's not often in this new era of much larger conferences that rematches happen so quickly, but Ohio State has the opportunity to write its story of a past wrong and gain leverage as December draws closer.

Whether it can, though, is a far different story.

Only time will tell.