Being the Buckeye beat’s black sheep blog, we here at Land-Grant Holy Land like to pat ourselves on the back. So, throughout the season, members of our staff will be making predictions about that day’s game. They will go on the record with what they think the final score will be, who the game’s MVP will be, and what the major storyline will be coming out of the day.
Today, at 12:30 p.m. ET, the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes will host a rare the Ball State David Lettermans at The Shoe. The game will be
preceded by a number of festivities, including Maurie Clarett ringing the Victory Bell, Jim Tressel being inducted into the ring of honor, and this year’s Game 2 Senior Day.
Check out what our staff members think and then let us know your thoughts on the game in the comments below. As we move forward with the season, you will be able to keep up with just how well our prognosticators do on a weekly basis HERE.
Michael Citro
Score Prediction: Ohio State 42, Ball State 10
Game MVP: Julian Sayin will carve up the Ball State defense, throwing for about 275 yards and a couple of touchdowns before giving way to the backups on offense.
Major Storyline: Unless there is something negative, such as a key injury or a score much closer than anticipated, there won’t be much in the way of a major storyline for this game. Ohio State is expected to roll, and the Buckeyes will likely do just that. At the end of the day, perhaps a freshman flashes and makes a few headlines, but I don’t think there will be much to take away from the game if the expected happens.
Alex Frank
Score Prediction: Ohio State 63, Ball State 14
Game MVP: Bo Jackson will be the MVP of this game. Ball State’s run defense is not good, so I think Jackson will have a big day running the ball. I’ll say Jackson will rush for 153 yards on 17 carries with three touchdowns.
Major Storyline: We’ve been wondering all offseason if the Buckeyes will be able to run the football this season. Are we really going to take a lot away from the Ball State game? Maybe not. But it will be clear that the Buckeyes will be able to break runs for big gains.
Joey Gertz
Score Prediction: Ohio State 45, Ball State 3
Game MVP: Jeremiah Smith will be the game MVP. J.J. launches his Heisman campaign early with 150 yards and two touchdowns.
Major Storyline: Despite the obviously inferior opponent, Matt Patricia’s defense will look like a top-five defense again. Eight of 11 starters are gone from Ohio State’s No. 1-ranked defense last year, but this program doesn’t have rebuilding years. It reloads. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. will have a big game, but the lesser-known pieces of the defense will fill the shoes of 2025’s Ohio State elites.
Justin Golba
Score Prediction: Ohio State 48, Ball State 0
Game MVP: The offensive stats will be spread out, but on defense I think Devin Sanchez will have two interceptions, including a pick-six.
Major Storyline: The defense will be the main storyline, as it is the first game without guys like Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, and Caleb Downs, but the unit will shut out Ball State and keep them from crossing midfield for most of the game.
Dan Hessler
Score Prediction: Ohio State 42, Ball State 3
Game MVP: Jeremiah Smith is going to have a big first half because that’s likely all the time he’ll be allowed to play before starters are pulled. He will have six catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns.
Major Storyline: The Ohio State offense will look even stronger than it did last season, including improvements from both Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin, who are both early Heisman candidates.
Caleb Houser
Score Prediction: Ohio State 56, Ball State 7
Game MVP: Julian Sayin is the MVP, passing for 287 yards and four touchdowns s on 17 completions. Behind an offensive line that has no issue protecting, Sayin will get the ball to his new group of receivers, and they take care of the rest.
Major Storyline: Ohio State clicks on every level, showcasing the new offense under Arthur Smith. The defense bottles up an inferior opponent but gives up a fourth-quarter score with young guys taking every snap. The Buckeyes now look ahead to Texas in what will be a much stiffer test, but early indications show how talented this team is.
Jami Jurich
Score Prediction: Ohio State 55, Ball State 3
Game MVP: Bo Jackson: The Buckeyes will be breaking in Arthur Smith’s new offense, which is expected to feature a run-heavy attack. Jackson, last year’s top running back, is back, and while he will likely sit out much of the game with the rest of the starters to protect them from injury, it’s still entirely possible he could clear 100 yards in the reps he does take, marking a welcome shift from last season’s rushing struggles.
Major Storyline: With the two teams so mismatched, unless the Buckeyes are really looking ahead to Texas next week — which would be an uncharacteristic, catastrophic booboo—this game won’t offer much by way of drama. However, it does give us our first look at Arthur Smith’s offense and a newly rebuilt defense, making the main story coming out of this game “How complete is this Buckeye team?”
Primarily, stories will focus on Smith’s offensive scheme and tempo — what kind of plays is he running? Who features heavily? What does this mean for a potential Buckeye Heisman winner? — and what it means for both the Texas matchup next week and the full season ahead (a brutal one, if we’re going off Ohio State’s strength of schedule). We’ll also see reactions to a Matt Patricia defense that features a lot of new faces. How well did the Buckeyes replace Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, and star safety Caleb Downs?
Connor Lemons
Score Prediction: Ohio State 45, Ball State 7
Game MVP: Bo Jackson runs for 155 yards and two scores, and also has ctches catches on the day before being pulled in the third quarter.
Major Storyline: Ohio State throttled an opponent they were expected to throttle, so the question going into Texas will be who is Ohio State’s No. 2 WR behind Jeremiah? Devin McCuin? Chris Henry Jr.? If Texas commits extra men to Smith, who will be Sayin’s next man up against the Longhorns?
Brett Ludwiczak
Score Prediction: Ohio State 49, Ball State 3
Game MVP: In his final season as a Buckeye, Jeremiah Smith starts the year out in style with a couple of receiving touchdowns, bringing him closer to breaking Chris Olave’s school record for career receiving touchdowns.
Major Storyline: The Buckeyes leave no doubt in the opener, accomplishing all of their goals ahead of next week’s clash with Texas. Ohio State gets the starters some work before the backups take over and keep everyone healthy.
Gene Ross
Score Prediction: Ohio State 52, Ball State 10
Game MVP: Jeremiah Smith: New OC Arthur Smith will look to get his QB-WR1 connection going early with at least 10 targets for JJ. Smith scores twice with 100+ yards receiving.
Major Storyline: Ohio State’s freshmen look like guys who will make a huge impact this season, including true freshmen Chris Henry Jr. and Jay Timmons, and redshirt freshman Riley Pettijohn. Timmons starts and tallies an interception.
Matt Tamanini
Score Prediction: Ohio State 55, Ball State 0
Game MVP: It is a bit of a cop out to take the returning Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback, but I think we are going to see a completely different Julian Sayin from what we saw last year. Not only is he more experienced, but he also has another offseason in the weight room under his belt, giving him added strength and speed. However, the biggest difference in his game in 2026 is going to be his leadership and chip on his shoulder. Look out for a more focused and aggressive QB1 this season.
Major Storyline: The Buckeyes won’t show much in terms of scheme or creativity, but they won’t need to. The skill and — just as importantly — the basic structure of the offense and defense will be more than enough to carry the day. The real story coming out of the game is how different the team will look next weekend against Texas, and if the pops of young talent will be utilized in Austin, or if Ryan Day, Matt Patricia, and Arthur Smith will stick with the more experienced guys in a top-five road game.
