If Ohio State wins the Big Ten Championship this upcoming season, it will be their first conference championship in six seasons. The Buckeyes haven’t gone six seasons without winning a Big Ten Championship since 1986-1993.
In three straight seasons from 2021 to 2023, Michigan beat Ohio State in The Game and went on to win the Big Ten Championship. The last two seasons, though, it’s been Oregon and Indiana that have won the B1G, with the Hoosiers beating the Buckeyes in Indianapolis this past December.
Not to take away anything from the Ducks and Hoosiers, but this isn’t Michigan winning the Big Ten Championship. Now, a newcomer to the Big Ten just two seasons ago and a formerly dormant program have won college football’s toughest conference in the last two seasons.
Ohio State used to win Big Ten Championships as if they were a rite of passage. Now, they haven’t won it since a season heavily impacted by COVID-19. They have been knocked off the Big Ten pedestal.
After the way the 2025 season ended, it’s clear the Buckeyes will enter 2026 with something to prove. It’s a similar feeling to the one they had when they entered the 2006 season. Like that season, 20 years ago, the Buckeyes will play at Texas in Week 2 this September.
While Ohio State beat the Longhorns this past season, it wasn’t pretty by any means. Texas, arguably, outplayed the Buckeyes, and the stat sheet confirms that. This season, Ohio State will play in Austin in a raucous environment.
This will be the first time the Buckeyes walk into an SEC environment in the Ryan Day era, and the first time overall since 2016 when they faced Oklahoma — who, at the time, was still in the Big 12. Winning that game would send a message.
But it’s in the Big Ten where the Buckeyes have something to prove. They’re currently not the big bad wolf they have been for so long. There are multiple teams in the Big Ten capable of beating them and challenging them for a Big Ten Championship this season.
It starts with Indiana, with the Buckeyes going to Bloomington on October 17th. If the Buckeyes are underdogs in that game, it wouldn’t be shocking. Indiana is going to be VERY good again in 2026. Right now, they have what the Buckeyes want: championships. That may sound crazy to read, but it’s the truth.
This is an unorthodox position for the Buckeyes, but they have to embrace it and prove themselves.
Even though the Buckeyes beat Oregon in the Rose Bowl in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals just over a year ago, Ohio State still has something to prove against Oregon. They lost to them in each of the last two regular-season games, including at home in 2021.
With the game in November and a potential Big Noon Kickoff looming, the Buckeyes could have multiple advantages. They have to capitalize.
It’s been six years since Ohio State has won the Big Ten Championship. Add two more years since the last time the Buckeyes beat Michigan at home. That’s way too long.
This season, The Game could be the final home game for Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, and many other key players. It almost definitely will be for Smith. Ohio State simply can’t lose The Game at home in 2026.
The Buckeyes were served a big slice of humble pie at the end of the 2025 season. While Ryan Day still has some vindication from leading Ohio State to the national championship in 2024, there are extremely high expectations and standards going into the 2026 season.
Simply put, anything short of a national championship would be viewed as a disappointment. Ohio State has something to prove in 2026, and they’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so.
