The Ohio State Buckeyes and TTUN may not fulfill the expectations of their demanding fanbases during the 2026 College Football season. That’s what College Football HQ On SI’s Timony Wolfrum believes, anyway, though he still ranked “The Game” as the No. 1 most intriguing Big Ten matchup this fall.
Wolfrum referenced Ohio State’s notoriously difficult upcoming slate — which includes clashes with the Indiana Hoosiers, Oregon Ducks, USC Trojans, Texas Longhorns, among others — and acknowledged that the Wolverines have a tough slate as well.
“‘The Game’ is almost always the game of the year in the Big Ten. It’s possible, though not probable, that the contest at Ohio Stadium could have no title implications. The Buckeyes have a brutal schedule, and the Wolverines’ is no picnic, either,” Wolfrum wrote.
“Ohio State breathed a huge sigh of relief last season by breaking a four-game slump against its rival. There’s no way to get a winning streak going than by winning on the road, like the Buckeyes did last year. Whittingham and Michigan will have their eyes on reclaiming their dominance.”
TTUN is in a transitional year and can fail while Ohio State cannot
Truth be told, TTUN not making the CFP wouldn’t affect folks in Ann Arbor and the greater Maize and Blue fanbase at large like OSU failing to make a third-straight 12-team field would in Columbus and for Buckeye Nation abroad.
Kyle Whittingham is taking over a program with an overpaid quarterback, Bryce Underwood, whom the new coaching staff couldn’t replace. The Wolverines’ defense should be stout, as it traditionally is, but with Justice Haynes gone, the offense may not be dynamic enough for it to matter.
There are no similar excuses for Ohio State. Ryan Day hired Arthur Smith to be an immediate fixer of the offense, while Matt Patricia also brings an experienced NFL pedigree. The Buckeyes have a returning Heisman finalist under center in Julian Sayin, the best player in College Football in receiver Jeremiah Smith catching passes from him, a mostly returning offensive line, and a strong transfer haul in the defensive trenches and the middle to replace outgoing top NFL draft picks.
There are levels to this. The level of disappointment OSU can reach is lower than TTUN, because the expectations are exponentially higher.
