Ohio State Football Stuns in Last-Second Comeback—What Tonight’s Win Means for the Playoff Race

COLUMBUS, Ohio—The Ohio State Buckeyes return to Ohio Stadium on Saturday, November 7 for a marquee non-conference showdown with the No. 23 Oregon Ducks that could reshape the College Football Playoff race. After surviving a two-game road swing to Indiana and USC, Ryan Day’s 6-2 squad (4-1 Big Ten) must re-establish dominance at home, where the Buckeyes own a nation-best 28-game winning streak. Key storylines 1. Playoff implications With two losses already, Ohio State sits on the fringe of the CFP top 12. Beating a ranked Pac-12 champion hopeful like Oregon would give the Buckeyes a résumé-boosting victory and valuable head-to-head leverage if the committee must separate one-loss champions from two-loss powerhouses in December. 2. Quarterback Julian Sayin’s growth True sophomore Julian Sayin has thrown for 2,145 yards, 18 touchdowns and just six interceptions since taking the reins in Week 3. His ability to stretch the field vertically against an Oregon secondary allowing only 178 passing yards per game will be critical to unlocking superstar receiver Emeka Egbuka, who leads the Big Ten with 62 receptions. 3. Injury concerns at wideout Ohio State ruled out veterans Carnell Tate (hamstring) and Kojo Antwi (ankle) earlier this week, thinning a receiver room already light on experience behind Egbuka. Expect freshman speedster Jeremiah Smith to see an uptick in targets in three-receiver sets. 4. Defensive resurgence Jim Knowles’ defense has held opponents to 17 points or fewer in five of the last six contests, fueled by the interior pass-rush tandem of Tyleik Williams and Hero Kanu (combined 11.5 sacks). Disrupting Oregon dual-threat quarterback Dante Moore—who averages 7.1 yards per carry on designed runs—will be priority No. 1. 5. Weather watch The current Saturday forecast calls for steady 15-mph winds and temperatures in the upper 40s—conditions that could force both teams to lean on the ground game. That favors Ohio State’s two-headed backfield of TreVeyon Henderson and Dallan Hayden, which averages 5.8 yards per tote. How to watch and stream • Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET • TV: ABC national broadcast • Streaming: ESPN app and FuboTV • Radio: 97.1 FM The Fan (Columbus), Sirius XM channel 84 Stat to know Ohio State leads the all-time series 10-1, but the Ducks claimed the most recent meeting—an upset in Columbus back in 2021 that derailed the Buckeyes’ playoff hopes. The Buckeyes have not lost consecutive home games to the same opponent since Penn State pulled the feat in 1976-78. Projected impact player Linebacker Sonny Styles has evolved into a hybrid chess piece who can shadow tight ends, spy quarterbacks and blitz off either edge. His versatility will be invaluable against Oregon’s RPO-heavy scheme. Bottom line A primetime victory would keep Ohio State firmly in the Big Ten title hunt and, more importantly, in striking distance of the CFP top 12. A loss, however, would force the Buckeyes to run the table—including a Nov. 21 trip to Ann Arbor—to keep their postseason dreams alive. Buckeye Nation expects fireworks in the Shoe this Saturday night, and with playoff stakes on the line, Ohio State-Oregon promises to deliver. Sources: ESPN game preview and live scoreboard