Welcome to the Skull Session.
One more sleep until Ohio State football is back.
Light. Cameras. Buckeyes.
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 1, 2026
Media Day 2026 pic.twitter.com/fQQ22OxIvT
Have a good Wednesday.
RAT POISON! For the first time since 2015, Ohio State is No. 1 in the preseason Coaches Poll.
I know.
I know.
That’s some serious rat poison.
And it is — but it also isn’t.
Ohio State is the best team in college football entering the season, but that doesn’t mean much. Like, at all. Why? Because we’ll find out if the Buckeyes are truly the nation’s best team by watching how Ryan Day and his players navigate the most difficult schedule in college football.
Ohio State has six (!) opponents ranked inside the top 22 of the preseason Coaches Poll: No. 2 Oregon, No. 4 Texas, No. 6 Indiana, No. 14 USC, No. 16 Michigan and No. 22 Iowa. The Buckeyes will welcome the Ducks (Nov. 7) and Wolverines (Nov. 28) to Ohio Stadium while traveling to face the Longhorns (Sept. 12), Hawkeyes (Oct. 10), Hoosiers (Oct. 17) and Trojans (Oct. 31).
That’s a gauntlet.
Six games that will serve as a measuring stick for Ohio State — and a chance for the Buckeyes to prove they’re the best team in the sport. After those 12 regular-season games, the reward for surviving that gauntlet is a trip to the Big Ten Championship Game and three or four College Football Playoff victories standing between Ohio State and another national title.
That’s the challenge ahead. That’s the opportunity ahead. And that’s what makes this season so exciting. The Buckeyes have been given the No. 1 ranking. Now they have to go out and prove they deserve it.
MORE RAT POISON! On Monday, ESPN’s Heather Dinich ranked the 31 likeliest teams to make the College Football Playoff in 2026. Ohio State ranked No. 2 on the list behind Texas and ahead of Notre Dame, Oregon and Georgia.
Here’s what Dinich wrote about the Buckeyes:
Last year's record: 12-2
Overall CFP record: 7-5
ESPN Analytics: Make playoff: 75.7% | Win national title: 17.1%
DraftKings odds to win the national title: +600
Agree or disagree with ESPN Analytics: Agree. The Buckeyes are loaded again, have a returning starting quarterback in Julian Sayin and ample talent around him. There's no reason Ohio State shouldn't contend for the national title. If the Buckeyes can beat Texas on the road, they could have a win against the eventual SEC champs.
Toughest test: Oct. 31 at USC. Yes, the Week 2 game at Texas will garner more national attention, but the trip to L.A. on Halloween -- after facing defending national champ Indiana on the road -- will probably be the most difficult task of the season. The Buckeyes will have a bye week to prepare for it, while USC will be coming home from a trip to Wisconsin.
What the committee will like: A midseason statement. Regardless of what happens in Week 2 at Texas, the Buckeyes have a key stretch during the heart of the season that could make or break their playoff hopes. It starts Oct. 17 at Indiana, followed by another road trip to USC on Halloween before hosting Oregon on Nov. 7. That should be three straight top-25 opponents. If Ohio State can go 2-1 during that stretch, it should be a CFP team regardless of what happens at Texas.
What the committee won't like: Three strikes on the road. Ohio State has four major opportunities -- Sept. 12 at Texas, Oct. 3 at Iowa, Oct. 17 at Indiana and Oct. 31 at USC -- to earn true road wins against what are likely to be CFP top-25 teams. Two losses can be overcome, but a third dips into dangerous territory. The Buckeyes need to find ways to win on the road, because that's where their best chances are to impress the committee.
No. 1 in the Coaches Poll.
No. 1 in SP+.
No. 1 in the College Football Power Index.
No. 2 in ESPN’s top College Football Playoff contenders.
The message is clear: Ohio State won’t sneak up on anyone in 2026. The Buckeyes will begin the year as national title favorites, and every opponent will view beating them as a defining moment. The expectations are championship-or-bust. Now comes the hard part: living up to them.
“PROVE IT YEAR” AHEAD. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Bill Connelly named the top 40 most important players in college football in 2026 — that is, “40 players who could define the season with moments, or long spells, of greatness.”
“Some play for contenders, while others play for teams that might prevent contenders from reaching their goals,” Connelly wrote. “All of them will have a chance to leave their mark on 2026.”
Four Buckeyes made the list, beginning with wide receiver Brandon Inniss at No. 13, defensive tackles James Smith and John Walker at No. 20 and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith at No. 22.
Potential Stars In Need of a Breakthrough
13. Brandon Inniss, WR, Ohio State. Even against double coverage, Jeremiah Smith is probably going to have a pretty good year in 2026. But if Ohio State has a properly dangerous No. 2 wideout -- last year's No. 2 Carnell Tate and tight end Max Klare are both gone -- then Smith could make a Heisman push. Inniss, now a senior, was a reliable if tame weapon in 2025, suffering zero drops but averaging just 7.5 yards per catch. Transfers and five-star freshmen such as Chris Henry Jr. will play roles, but bigger contributions from Inniss would be huge.
Most Important Non-Quarterback Transfers
20. James Smith and/or John Walker, DL, Ohio State. Matt Patricia's first Ohio State defense was absurdly good, but he's now replacing nine of the 13 players who saw 300-plus snaps and that includes four of five defensive linemen. There are plenty of former star recruits in the pipeline, but Ryan Day and Patricia will need strong, veteran contributions from at least one transfer big man, be it Smith (24 tackles and 5.5 TFLs at Alabama last year) or Walker (38 tackles, 3.5 TFLs at UCF).
Pure Transcendence Potential
22. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State (No. 24 in 2025). It might be one of the more exciting thoughts of the season: Smith caught 87 balls for 1,243 yards and 12 scores last year in an offense that took almost no risks whatsoever thanks to a nearly perfect defense and an inexperienced quarterback. What might he be capable of if Ohio State actually has to throw the ball every now and then?
I never imagined I would include a list in the Skull Session where Jeremiah Smith doesn’t rank No. 1, let alone where he’s ranked behind Inniss, James Smith and Walker. But Jeremiah Smith is a proven commodity widely regarded as the best player in college football. Ohio State will get what it gets while opponents throw fits.
The bigger questions are whether Inniss can become a true No. 2 option and whether James Smith and Walker can provide the veteran presence Ohio State needs in the trenches. If the Buckeyes unlock the potential in those three players, it could be the difference between hardware and no hardware this season. That’s what makes them three of the most important players entering the 2026 season.
THE BEST OF THE BEST. The Buckeyes landed four players on Sporting News’ 1970s All-American team this week: running back Archie Griffin, offensive tackle John Hicks, linebacker Randy Gradishar and safety Jack Tatum.
Buckeyes on @sportingnews 1970s All-Decade Team. pic.twitter.com/EKRu1t9aby
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 3, 2026
Each of them is an Ohio State legend. Not coincidentally, each of them remains one of the most recognizable Buckeyes in program history. Ask fans to name their favorite Ohio State players of all time, and there’s a good chance Griffin, Hicks, Gradishar or Tatum comes up.
And honestly, can you blame them?
College football's only two-time Heisman Trophy winner, a Lombardi Award winner, the best linebacker Woody Hayes ever coached and a player nicknamed "The Assassin." It's hard to beat a quartet like that — though Ohio State wasn't done producing all-time greats, as Orlando Pace earned Sporting News' 1990s All-American honors and A.J. Hawk and Mike Nugent represented the Buckeyes on the 2000s team.
SONG OF THE DAY. "oh yeah?" - Steve Lacy.
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