CBS Sports Sends Scary Warning to Ohio State, Ryan Day as Pressure Mounts Ahead of 2026

Columbus, OH — A sobering forecast from CBS Sports analyst Cody Nagel has ratcheted up the temperature on Ryan Day’s seat well before the 2026 season kicks off. Despite slotting Ohio State at No. 1 in his way-too-early Top 25, Nagel projects the Buckeyes will drop at least three games—something the program has not done since 2011—while navigating what he labels “one of the nation’s toughest schedules.”

The scarlet-and-gray slate features five opponents who appear in Marcello’s companion top-25 projection, including a Nov. 7 visit from an Oregon squad touted as a potential national-title pick. Nagel also anticipates Michigan snapping its two-game skid in the rivalry, handing the Wolverines their first win over Ohio State since 2024.

Such a confluence of setbacks, Nagel argues, would not only snap the Buckeyes’ 15-year streak of two-loss seasons but also risk knocking them out of the postseason entirely. For a fan base that measures success in confetti and trophies, missing the playoff would amplify the “real, raw and unapologetic” pressure already bearing down on Day.

Ohio State remains one of only three Big Ten programs to capture three straight league titles, yet the CBS projection underscores how quickly expectations can curdle when a brutal schedule intersects with championship-or-bust standards. If Nagel’s crystal ball proves accurate, the 2026 campaign could become the most scrutinized year in Columbus since the post-Tressel era.