<\/p>\n
After\u00a0<\/span>an\u00a0undefeated regular season record in 2025,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Ohio State<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0will be going into 2026 with\u00a0<\/span><\/span>possibly one\u00a0of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>its\u00a0hardest\u00a0<\/span><\/span>schedules\u00a0in the program\u2019s history.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>Ryan Day<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and the Buckeyes will face games at Texas,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>USC,\u00a0Iowa<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Indiana\u00a0and then home games against Oregon and Michigan.\u00a0All<\/span><\/span> 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\u00a0<\/span>a good\u00a0<\/span>number<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>of transfers come in. With all this\u00a0<\/span>considered,\u00a0will 2026 be the toughest schedule in Buckeyes history?<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ohio State\u2019s first challenge will come in Week 2 against the Texas Longhorns in Austin. Last\u00a0<\/span>season,\u00a0Ohio State opened the college football season against\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Texas and\u00a0<\/span>won\u00a0a close game that finished 14-7. However, with having t<\/span>o<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>replace several<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>players leaving for either the NFL Draft or the transfer portal, the Buckeyes could end up struggling with such an\u00a0<\/span>opponent\u00a0so early in the season.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Their Big Ten schedule\u00a0<\/span>isn\u2019t\u00a0where the problems end either. Their Big Ten road opponents consist of Iowa, Indiana,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>USC\u00a0and Nebraska. While their home schedule\u00a0<\/span><\/span>has\u00a0them pl<\/span>aying Oregon, Michigan, Illinois,\u00a0<\/span>Maryland<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>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.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>According to CBS<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0and other early rankings, Ohio State faces as many as four potential\u00a0<\/span>top-10<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>teams in 2026 and may have the single hardest schedule in the Big Ten and in the nation.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Well,\u00a0there\u00a0<\/span><\/span>have\u00a0<\/span>definitely<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>been other years when the Buckeyes had hard schedules.\u00a0<\/span>Old BCS and playoff runs under Jim\u00a0<\/span>Tressel\u00a0and Urban Meyer had to go through\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin and then top non<\/span>conference\u00a0games like Texas or USC.<\/span>\u00a0But what makes 2026 different is the amount of road games against top teams (Texas, USC, Indiana) and then also having to play Oregon and Mic<\/span>higan at home. In past years, Ohio State got tested by\u00a0<\/span>maybe two<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>or three truly<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>elite teams, but in 2026, they might have to play five or more games against teams ranked in at least the top 15.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 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,\u00a0<\/span>they\u2019ll\u00a0have\u00a0<\/span><\/span>one of the strongest resumes in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nThis schedule is rough, but is it the\u00a0<\/span>hardest\u00a0in history?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n