Football season is finally here and Ohio State opens its 2026 season with MAC opponent Ball State on Saturday.
The Buckeyes are bringing back nearly its full starting offense from last season with a new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith and had to replace eight starters on the defensive side of the ball.
Here’s how the BSB staff believes the game will go:
Sam Cipriani: Buckeyes Breeze By Ball State
Rather than opening the season with an immediate challenge like Texas in 2025, Ohio State begins its season with a cakewalk or tune-up game of sorts against Ball State.
The Cardinals were one of the worst teams on paper in the FBS last season, in the first season under Mike Uremovich, ranking 130th in scoring offense (15.8) and 102nd in scoring defense (29.8). And while Ball State brought in 26 transfer additions, which may have made some minor improvements, I don’t see a team that experienced a mass exodus and is expected to struggle again in 2026 pulling off a miracle inside Ohio Stadium.
I believe Ohio State will focus on working out the kinks of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense early in the first half, with the Buckeyes establishing sophomore running backs Bo Jackson and Isaiah West and the rushing attack early on.
Ohio State simply outclasses Ball State in all three phases of the game, leading me to believe the Buckeyes could take a four-or-five-score lead into halftime and have their backups on the field early in the second half. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Ohio State’s backups may also be more talented than Ball State’s starting unit, making for an especially long afternoon for Uremovich and Co.
I expect Ohio State’s depth to be on full display, with the Buckeyes’ second and third-stringers seeing significant action as Ohio State cruises past Ball State with little resistance. Ohio State 62, Ball State 3
Bobby Gorbett: Ohio State Starts Fast In Win
Ohio State football is finally back, and with all due respect to Ball State, the first game will be a layup. As usual, the Buckeyes are one of the most talented teams in college football and even with the Texas game on deck, I expect head coach Ryan Day’s team to be completely hungry to get out to a good start in the season-opener.
Frankly, the only thing that could make Saturday’s game somewhat interesting is if the Buckeyes aren’t ready to play. But in front of their home fans for the first game of the season, I don’t see that even being a possibility.
I expect the Buckeyes will keep the offensive game plan very vanilla against the Cardinals, but that won’t prevent them from running up the score. I think Ohio State will have plenty of success running behind its experienced offensive line and quarterback Julian Sayin will set up a connection with former UTSA transfer Devin McCuin. The Cardinals will provide very little resistance to Ohio State’s offense. I expect Sayin and sophomore running backs Bo Jackson and Isaiah West to shine in the game.
Even with eight new starters, I think Ohio State’s defense dominates against a Ball State offense mainly void of high-level college football players.
A defensive score or special teams score may be in the cards for the Buckeyes, and if that’s the case, a 50-point victory is certainly possible. Ohio State 56, Ball State 3
Greg Wilson: Buckeyes Send Cardinals Home Empty Handed
Looking at this Ohio State team, I unsurprisingly see depth at most positions on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. That’s going to matter for game one because the backups and third-stringers are likely going to get their fair share of playing time.
It won’t be a surprise when Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith connect for a touchdown or two, or when the first-team defense creates a turnover and doesn’t allow a point.
What I’m looking to see is how some of the backups do against MAC competition and whether they can uphold the standard the starters will set in the first half. Tavien St. Clair will probably come into the game first and is looking to win the backup QB competition, and I expect him to show off why he was rated so highly as a prospect when he does.
I also expect that the defense won’t allow Mike Uremovich’s squad to find the end zone, and also won’t even let the Cardinals get into field goal range. It would be a strong start for OSU, but the Buckeyes also know they need to be playing their best football already at this point in the season because up next is Texas. Ohio State 56, Ball State 0
