The Horseshoe has always been a spectacle. The crowd noise, the marching band, the fireworks, and yes, the Victory Bell echoing through Columbus after every home win. But this Saturday night, Ryan Day and Ohio State are adding some basketball fame to the tradition. This ex-Indiana Pacers star won the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this February for his decades of work with CBS Sports. And now, the former Buckeye big man, who once averaged nearly a double-double at Ohio State and went No. 8 overall in the 1982 NBA draft, is bringing that same energy back to campus.  

Who’s got the honor of ringing the Victory Bell in Week 3? None other than one of Buckeyes’ most recognizable hoop legends Clark Kellogg. On September 11, Ohio State Football posted a clip of him grinning as he promised Buckeye Nation he was ready for Saturday night under the lights. “Can’t tell you how excited and grateful I am to have the honor of ringing the victory bell Saturday night in the game against OU in The Shoe,” he said. “There’s no better place to watch a college football game than The Horseshoe, and there are no better fans anywhere than the Buckeye Nation.” That’s how you set the stage for a rivalry game that happens to have in-state pride on the line. 

Ohio State vs Ohio. David versus Goliath. The Buckeyes are sitting atop the polls at 2-0, fresh off a 70-0 demolition of Grambling and a statement win over then-No. 1 Texas in the opener. Ryan Day’s team has been suffocating opponents, allowing just 251 total yards per game while averaging blowout numbers. The Bobcats, by contrast, roll into Columbus as 31.5-point underdogs. Still, Ohio has an intriguing weapon under center. QB Parker Navarro leads the MAC in completions, yards, and touchdowns, though his aggressiveness has also led to plenty of interceptions. 

Parker Navarro kept Ohio within three against Rutgers in Week 1 and knocked off West Virginia the following week, proving he won’t back down from tougher competition. But going from Rutgers to the Horseshoe is more than just a change in venue. The Bobcats may land a few punches early, but history says the longer the game goes, the more likely Ohio State’s depth, speed, and physicality turn it into another Columbus beatdown. And if that wasn’t enough pressure, Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith are just waiting for their chance to light up the scoreboard.

Julian Sayin is in the headlines

Here’s another headline for Saturday. Julian Sayin lights up the Bobcats defense. The young QB has been nothing short of surgical, completing 79.5% of his passes with five touchdowns to just one pick. With Jeremiah Smith on the outside, you just know Ohio State is poised to dominate. Think about this as a tune-up game for the Buckeyes before a stretch that includes Washington, Minnesota, and Illinois. If Smith wants to plant himself in the Heisman race early, this is where the fireworks start.

The Victory Bell isn’t just pageantry. Since 1954, when Woody Hayes declared Alpha Phi Omega would manage it, the bell has been a postgame soundtrack to Ohio State wins. Fifteen minutes for every W, thirty if it’s Michigan. Archie Griffin rang it earlier this season, John Cooper the week after. Now, it’s Clark Kellogg’s turn.

A basketball legend adding fuel to football heat? That’s what makes Ohio State different. Tradition grows louder every Saturday. And with Clark Kellogg ringing that bell after what could be another lopsided win, the echoes in Columbus might carry all the way to Ann Arbor.