Monday Musings for Week 1 – Ball State
Ohio State opens the 2026 season Saturday against Ball State, but the Buckeyes’ first test is about much more than the final score.
There are plenty of signs that football season is approaching. The preseason polls arrive. Training camp highlights begin to fill social media. Depth-chart debates become serious business again, and every quote from a coach is examined for clues about what might be coming.
But none of it feels quite as real as the first Monday of game week.
The long offseason is over. No. 1 Ohio State will run out of the tunnel at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, beginning a 2026 season filled with championship expectations.
The Buckeyes host Ball State at 12:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network, giving them one Saturday in the Horseshoe before the schedule takes a dramatic turn with a trip to Texas in Week 2.
Ohio State should win this opener comfortably. That is not disrespectful to Ball State; it is simply an acknowledgment of the enormous talent gap between the two rosters. The more interesting questions concern how the Buckeyes look, which players seize their first opportunities and whether the team begins establishing an identity that will hold up when the competition becomes much more demanding.
Here are the first Monday Musings of the 2026 season.
1. Enjoy This Feeling, College Football Is Back
The first game week carries a different energy because everything is still possible.
Ohio State has not yet had a frustrating third down, a special-teams mistake or a drive that makes everyone question the play calling. Every new starter is still a potential breakout player. Every freshman is still one opportunity away from becoming the next name Buckeye fans cannot stop discussing. The entire season remains unwritten.
That optimism comes with pressure in Columbus, especially when the Buckeyes begin the year ranked No. 1. Ohio State is not entering this season hoping to find out whether it can contend. The expectation is to compete for the Big Ten championship and play deep into the College Football Playoff. Anything less will feel incomplete.
Those larger goals can wait for a moment. Saturday is the return of the band, the crowd, the scarlet jerseys and the familiar nervous excitement before kickoff. After months of projections and predictions, we finally get to watch this team play football.
2. The Arthur Smith Offense Gets Its First Live Audition
Saturday will provide the first real look at Arthur Smith’s offense.
We should not expect Ohio State to empty the playbook against Ball State, particularly with Texas waiting one week later. The Buckeyes will likely keep some formations, tendencies and counters out of public view. Even within a relatively basic plan, however, we can begin learning how Smith intends to shape this offense.
Will Ohio State establish the run early and lean into Smith’s history of using multiple tight ends and varied formations? How frequently will the Buckeyes move players before the snap? Will the offense create easier throws off play-action? How will Smith distribute touches among a receiver room that still features Jeremiah Smith but has several players seeking larger roles?
The final yardage total will matter less than the structure behind it. Ohio State does not need to prove it can overwhelm Ball State with talent. We already know that. The Buckeyes need to begin proving they can play with balance, stay ahead of the chains and finish drives without relying on one superstar to solve every problem.
Most of all, the opener is an opportunity for the offensive line to settle into a rhythm. The competition for roles and the movement along the line have generated plenty of preseason discussion. Saturday should give the starting group meaningful snaps together before it faces a far more physical and hostile challenge in Austin.
3.What Does the Next Step Look Like for Julian Sayin?
Julian Sayin enters the season in a much different position than he did a year ago.
He is no longer the young quarterback trying to prove he belongs in the job. After throwing for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns while completing 77 percent of his passes in 2025, Sayin enters 2026 as an established star, a preseason award candidate and one of seven players selected as team captains.
The next step is not simply producing more passing yards.
It is becoming the player who controls the entire offense: changing protections, recognizing pressure, creating answers when the initial look is taken away and steadying the team when a drive begins poorly. It is also about developing within a new offensive system without losing the accuracy and anticipation that made his first season so successful.
Against Ball State, Sayin should not need to play deep into the second half. A successful afternoon would be efficient and relatively uneventful—several scoring drives, no unnecessary risks, command at the line of scrimmage and enough comfort within the new system to leave the field feeling ready for Texas.
There is also a leadership element worth watching. Sayin being named a captain confirms how much his standing has grown inside the program. Saturday is his first chance to look like the unquestioned on-field leader of this team.
4. The Defense Must Introduce Its New Difference-Makers
Ohio State’s defense has become accustomed to replacing NFL talent. This season brings another round of new names stepping into larger roles, even as Matt Patricia provides continuity at defensive coordinator.
The opener should be about communication, tackling and establishing control at the line of scrimmage. Ball State has named Texas State transfer Keldric Luster its starting quarterback, and his unusual 5-foot-10, 250-pound frame gives the Cardinals a physical runner who could test gap discipline if Ohio State becomes careless.
That does not make Saturday a dangerous matchup for the Buckeyes. It does give the defense something specific to handle beyond simply rushing the passer on every snap.
Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Payton Pierce and Jaylen McClain were all voted captains, a sign that the locker room expects them to help establish the personality of this defense.
Their responsibilities go beyond making individual plays. Ohio State needs its experienced defenders to keep the unit organized, prevent explosive mistakes and help the younger players settle into the game.
The best outcome would be a boring afternoon for Ball State: few missed tackles, no coverage busts, limited success on early downs and a wave of Buckeyes rotating into the game without a noticeable drop in execution.
5. Saturday Is an Audition for the Next Wave
It might be a freshman receiver making his first explosive catch, a young running back showing that he deserves a place in the rotation or a defensive lineman creating havoc during second-half snaps. Ohio State’s depth should allow Ryan Day and his staff to play a large portion of the roster if the starters build the expected lead.
Those snaps matter. The Buckeyes are preparing for a long season that includes road trips to Texas, Iowa, Indiana and USC, along with home games against Oregon and Michigan. The players who appear late against Ball State may eventually be asked to play meaningful snaps in one of those games.
Saturday is also a chance to begin answering questions about the supporting cast around Jeremiah Smith. Smith will naturally command attention from every defense Ohio State faces. Brandon Inniss—now a two-time captain and the 2026 recipient of the Block “O” jersey—will have an important role, while transfers and young receivers have opportunities to earn Sayin’s trust.
If the Buckeyes can establish multiple reliable options early in the season, defending this offense becomes much more complicated than simply building every coverage plan around No. 4.
6. The Real Opponent Is Readiness
Ohio State is not preparing only to beat Ball State. It is preparing to walk into Texas one week later and win.
That does not mean the Buckeyes should look ahead or treat Saturday like a scrimmage. In fact, the quickest way to create concern before Week 2 would be to play with sloppy focus in Week 1. Penalties, missed assignments, poor exchanges and special-teams errors are exactly the kinds of problems that can be hidden by a lopsided score and then become decisive against an elite opponent.
The ideal opener allows Ohio State to accomplish four things: establish control immediately, give the starters enough work to develop a rhythm, create opportunities for the younger roster and finish healthy.
No style points are required. A clean, professional performance would tell us more about this team than chasing a particular margin of victory.
Photo Credit: Jay LaPrete/The Associated Press