College football has once again returned to the virtual world in EA Sports College Football 26, allowing fans of all 134 FBS schools to take control of their favorite team. For Buckeye Nation, that means getting to dominate with one of the best rosters in the game.
The game also allows us to get a glimpse at what the season could look like, at least if the computers had their say. Each week, Land-Grant Holy Land will simulate Ohio State’s real-life matchup to see what our AI overlords think will happen.
Here are the results of our Week 8 sim:
Ohio State 38 – Wisconsin 10
The virtual Buckeyes got on the board first this week, scoring from just one yard out on a touchdown pass from Julian Sayin to tight end Bennett Christian on their second drive of the game. Wisconsin answered on its ensuing possession with a field goal, and with both teams playing slow, that was all the scoring in the first quarter.
Ohio State kicked things into a higher gear to become the second frame, opening things up with a 40-yard touchdown by Brandon Inniss. After a few punts each way, the Buckeyes once again hit on a big play, this time a 44-yard touchdown by Carnell Tate, to put the away team up 21-3. That score would hold until halftime.
The Badgers were able to get points on their scripted drive out of the break, with Billy Edwards Jr. (he’s healthy and ready to go in this universe) finding Vinny Anthony II on a 10-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 21-10. Any good feelings from that score would be short-lived, however, as Jeremiah Smith’s 17-yard touchdown made it a three-score game again at 28-10 heading into the fourth quarter.
Wisconsin drilled a 45-yard field goal to make things a little less lopsided to begin the final period, but a 23-yard field goal by Jayden Fielding and a 12-yard touchdown run by James Peoples put the finishing touches on a 38-10 victory for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes out-gained the Badgers 422-241, but struggled to run the ball, with 36 carries netting 71 yards as a team. Sayin made up for the lack of a ground attack with an excellent day through the air, and the Ohio State defense held Wisconsin to a 4-of-16 mark on third down.
Key Contributors
Ohio State (Offense)
- Julian Sayin: 28-of-34 passing for 351 yards, 4 TD
- Bo Jackson: 14 carries for 52 yards
- Carnell Tate: 7 catches for 94 yards, 1 TD
- Jeremiah Smith: 5 catches for 85 yards, 1 TD
- Brandon Inniss: 3 catches for 78 yards, 1 TD
Ohio State (Defense)
- Jaylen McClain: 7 tackles, 2 PBU
- Eddrick Houston: 5 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks
- Caden Curry: 5 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack
- Arvell Reese: 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU
- Davison Igbinosun: 4 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 PBU
Wisconsin (Offense)
- Billy Edwards Jr.: 19-of-40 passing for 176 yards, 1 TD
- Cade Yacamelli: 12 carries for 42 yards
- Vinny Anthony II: 5 catches for 55 yards, 1 TD
- Lance Mason: 4 catches for 38 yards
- Tucker Ashcraft: 3 catches for 34 yards
Wisconsin (Defense)
- Christian Alliegro: 9 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU
- Corey Walker: 5 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack
- Brandon Lane: 4 tackles, 2 TFL
- Matthew Traynor: 8 tackles
- Tackett Curtis: 6 tackles, 1 PBU
Check back to see how Ohio State actually performed on the field compared to the simulation, and see how they fare in our Week 10 simulation against Penn State after the off week.
