Oddsmakers project tough Ohio State season ahead

Columbus, OH — As the Buckeyes open spring drills, the betting market is flashing a caution light inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. FanDuel has hung Ohio State’s 2026 regular-season win total at 9.5, the program’s lowest preseason projection in years and a number that places Ryan Day’s team behind both Indiana and Oregon (each 10.5) while merely equaling Penn State.

The line stands in stark contrast to recent history. Ohio State finished last fall a perfect 12-0 before falling to eventual Big Ten champion Indiana in Indianapolis and to Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal. Over the past two decades the Buckeyes have recorded double-digit regular-season victories 18 times in 20 tries, and they have dropped more than one league or non-conference game only once in the last four seasons.

Talent is not the issue. Quarterback Julian Sayan, a Heisman finalist, returns after throwing for 3,600-plus yards and setting an Ohio State single-season accuracy mark at 77 percent. Biletnikoff candidate Jeremiah Smith is widely viewed as the nation’s premier wide receiver, and a backfield headlined by Bo Jackson is expected to be among the country’s most productive.

Yet oddsmakers are effectively forecasting a two- or three-loss regular season—something the Buckeyes have avoided in all but one campaign since 2020. With road trips to Eugene and Bloomington on the docket plus the annual collision with Michigan, the schedule offers little margin for error. If the sportsbooks prove prescient, 2026 could register as the most disappointing season in Columbus since the playoff era began.

Ohio State now faces the dual challenge of living up to its own championship standard while proving the gambling consensus wrong. Spring practices will offer the first clues as to whether the Buckeyes can turn skepticism into motivation before the August opener.