The Indiana Hoosiers dethroned the Ohio State Buckeyes as Big Ten and national champions, establishing the conference as college football’s top dogs. Despite losing several defensive players, the Buckeyes retained several offensive starters and were ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 Preseason poll.
Former Buckeyes linebacker Joshua Perry was cautious about the Buckeyes’ perception among college football fans and analysts.
Former National Champion Highlights Ohio State Concerns
During Friday’s segment of “The Jim Rome” show, Perry outlined his concerns with the Buckeyes ahead of the season. The former linebacker dialed down expectations surrounding Ohio State and was skeptical whether they’d make the College Football Playoff.
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“My expectation of Ohio State is a little bit less than what the national narrative says,” Perry said. “They’re replacing a ton on defense, the offensive line didn’t play very well at the end of last year and they have a lot coming back, but I still need to see that to believe it. The RB room is a little bit young. The top two rushers are young guys who missed the spring.
“It might take them a second to get into groove. Julian Sayin, we saw a couple of pimples out of him when he started facing a more fierce pass rush from Indiana and Miami. I think he’s got some room to grow even though he was a Heisman finalist. And who’s catching the ball besides Jeremiah Smith? I get it, best player in America, but there gotta be other guys on that offense that can catch the ball too.”
“They’re going to be talented, but I see some issues in the preseason that a lot of people aren’t addressing right now,” Perry concluded.
“They’re going to be talented, but I see some issues in the preseason that a lot of people aren’t addressing right now.”
Former Buckeye @mrjoshuaperry has concerns about Ohio State going into the season. pic.twitter.com/Y2TypSyI1c
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) August 28, 2026
Perry further highlighted the Buckeyes’ tough schedule as a reason for concern. The Buckeyes will face the Texas Longhorns, Iowa Hawkeyes, Hoosiers, and USC Trojans on the road. In addition, they will host the Oregon Ducks and Michigan Wolverines in Columbus, completing one of college football’s toughest schedules.
The Buckeyes finished the regular season with a perfect 12-0 record but were subsequently beaten by the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten Championship Game and the Miami Hurricanes in the Cotton Bowl.
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The Buckeyes were competent on both sides of the ball and earned a PFN College Team Offense Impact score of 90.2 (No. 3 in the country) and a Defense Impact score of 95.1 (No. 4 in college football).
Coach Ryan Day appointed Arthur Smith to be the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator after Brian Hartline took the USF Bulls job. The Buckeyes had significant roster turnover, losing over 30 and recruiting 17 players via the transfer portal, the No. 48 class in the country.
