The Ohio State Buckeyes are in a tough spot for the rest of the 2026 college football season. Following a 30-18 loss to the USC Trojans in Week 9, which was Ohio State’s second loss of the season, the Buckeyes need to go 4-0 the rest of the regular season and reach the Big Ten Championship Game if they want to make the College Football Playoff.

Ohio State sits at No. 12 and is set to miss the playoff as things stand. The path back starts with a must-win game against the Oregon Ducks at home on Saturday. Oregon is a three-loss team, but there’s no reason to underestimate the Ducks. Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer recently made sure to send that reminder.

Urban Meyer isn’t downplaying the Oregon threat

Meyer kept it real about how he’s feeling following the loss to USC. He didn’t hide his concern about Saturday’s matchup either. 

“It’s 2026, man. Every day’s a panic,” Meyer said via The Triple Option podcast. “You’re telling me Oregon doesn’t have the roster to come in and beat Ohio State? You’re out of your mind … hell yeah, it’s time to panic. I’m panicked. I’m a Buckeye.”

This is a new era of college football, and rosters are more evened out than they’ve ever been. Everyone is spending money, and every program can only spend so much on top players. As a result, talent gets dispersed more than it used to. A three-loss Oregon team still has the kind of roster that can walk into Ohio Stadium and win.

USC loss stung Ohio State in more ways than one

The loss to USC feels more dramatic because it was the first game Ohio State played without Julian Sayin at quarterback. It was also a road start for freshman Luke Fahey, and it simply didn’t go well for the Buckeyes.

Fahey played well enough for Ohio State to win. However, penalties, special teams miscues, and a bad defensive performance hurt the Buckeyes against the Trojans. Those are mistakes that can be cleaned up, but there’s no more room for them over the final month of the regular season.

Ohio State still controls its own path

While it’s felt like the sky is falling in Columbus for the last few days, Ohio State still has everything it wants to accomplish in front of it. The Buckeyes can still beat Michigan. They can still win the Big Ten championship, and they can still compete for a national championship.

Meyer pointed to that same reality on the podcast. Despite the alarm in his first comment, he still sees a clear route for his former program.

“The good news is, are they good enough to keep going? Absolutely,” Meyer went on to say. “They have four games left, three at home. They control their destiny. If they win out, they’re in Indianapolis.”

Ohio State will face an Oregon team that doesn’t have Dante Moore at quarterback, so the Ducks will be starting Dylan Raiola on the road. That’s a favorable spot for the Buckeyes on paper, but they have to go out and do it. 

This is a game Ohio State must win. If the Buckeyes don’t take care of business at home, the pressure and noise around the program are going to get a whole lot louder.