Ohio State does not play on Saturday, Oct. 24, as the Buckeyes reach their bye week with a 6-1 record and a place near the top of the national rankings. Ohio State is ranked No. 2 in the US LBM Coaches Poll and No. 3 in the AP Poll, a position that keeps the program in the center of the postseason picture even while it is idle this weekend.
The break follows a hard-fought road win on Oct. 17, when Ohio State won at Indiana 19-15. The result ended Indiana’s 22-game win streak, giving the Buckeyes a signature victory on the road. It was also the game that changed the outlook for the rest of the season, because the win came at a significant cost in the fourth quarter.
Starting quarterback Julian Sayin was injured in the fourth quarter at Indiana, and head coach Ryan Day has since declared Sayin out indefinitely. The team is also accounting for the possibility that Sayin misses the rest of the 2026 season and the postseason, a scenario that forces Ohio State to plan the remainder of its schedule without its starting quarterback available.
That uncertainty is why the timing of the bye matters so much. With no game this Saturday, the other quarterbacks on the depth chart get extra practice reps during the week. Reporting indicates the staff is still evaluating its options rather than naming a decided replacement starter, and the additional work gives those quarterbacks more time to prepare for what comes next.
Ohio State returns to action on Oct. 31, when the Buckeyes travel to face USC. The Halloween night game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be shown on NBC. USC enters that matchup ranked No. 16, making the trip another ranked test for a Buckeyes team that will be coming off the bye and adjusting at quarterback.
The closing stretch stays demanding after the USC game. Ohio State hosts Oregon at home on Nov. 7, then hosts Northwestern at home on Nov. 14. The Buckeyes then travel to face Nebraska on Nov. 21 before returning home to close the listed stretch against Michigan on Nov. 28 at noon, a run that leaves little room for a slow adjustment.
For now, the focus in Columbus is on using the bye week well. Ohio State has the record and the rankings to remain in contention, but the quarterback situation will shape every week ahead. How the extra practice reps translate when the Buckeyes take the field again at USC on Oct. 31 is the next question the team has to answer.