Ryan Day knows this Ohio State team can win another national title. The talent is there. The real test is the schedule. In 2026, the Buckeyes face what many inside the program call the toughest road of Day’s career in Columbus. It’s a stretch that could decide whether they return to the playoffs or watch from home; Greg McElroy claims “they’ll have to earn” their way through.

“Ohio State, according to many, will be the number one team in the country, understandably. But I think you can make a strong case that this is the hardest schedule that Ryan Day has ever had to coach in Columbus,” said Greg McElroy during his July 14 appearance on ESPN College Football. “And it is a peculiar tax for being great. You’re at the pinnacle. You’re turning out first-rounders. You got Julian Sayin back at quarterback. Jeremiah Smith out there on the outside. And the schedule makers are like, ‘Perfect. All right. Sounds good. You got all that. Here’s a minefield.'”

Not only McElroy but also Joel Klatt sent an alarming message for Ryan Day, especially considering OSU’s games against Texas, Indiana, and Michigan. If OSU can beat these three, there’s a chance to stay in playoff contention. Otherwise, Klatt warned: “If you miss the playoffs as the Ohio State Buckeyes, life is not going to be good.”

And the possibility of missing a title run only grows considering OSU’s road game. “The road schedule is where this thing turns into a bit of survival test,” said McElroy. “And here’s the number that separates this slate from everyone else’s. No other team in America has two road games against teams that are this good. The Buckeyes go to Texas. They go to the defending national champion, Indiana.”

When the Longhorns host Ohio State, that’s going to be a monster rematch of 2025. Last year, a loss to OSU cost Texas a spot in the CFP, so this season they are desperate to win. Both have elite QBs, OSU’s Julian Sayin and Texas’ Arch Manning, but the difference is that these QBs will be in a stronger version compared to last season. If OSU loses to Texas, the road will be tougher for the Buckeyes, as they will face Indiana.

The Hoosiers know how to win against the likely No. 1 team: Ohio State. Last season, IU was 15-0, and they haven’t lost a home game under Curt Cignetti. More importantly, the Buckeyes lost to IU in the B1G title game. “If Indiana beats Ohio State, all of a sudden the premier program in the Big 10 is Indiana at the moment, which is wild,” said Klatt.

However, the concern doesn’t stop there for Ryan Day’s OSU, as they have to face USC and Iowa on the road. In fact, home games will be de facto playoff eliminators with no easy weeks for the Buckeyes. “They host Oregon. They host Michigan. And that’s potentially a half-dozen games against ranked competition,” said the former Alabama QB. “So, Ohio State is good enough to run the table. The schedule guarantees they’ll have to earn the number one seed against the toughest field any Buckeye team has faced in years.”

But if OSU can win by beating such a tough schedule, they will create history.