COLUMBUS, Ohio — Even though Ohio State fans are anticipating next week’s top five matchup against Texas, Ryan Day has more than a few things he is looking for the top-ranked Buckeyes to accomplish in the opener against Ball State.
“The first thing you want to do is you want to play clean. We can control everything that happens before the snap. Then we’ve got to play with great fundamentals, take care of the football, and then be smart post-snap. I said it before, great teams don’t beat themselves,” Day said. “Then the second thing is establishing a certain identity of playing really hard, tough, and then playing smart football and doing our job.”
The Buckeyes (12-2 last season) are 50 1/2-point favorites on Saturday as they begin their pursuit of a second national championship in three years. The Cardinals are one of the few lightweights on a regular-season schedule that includes six teams ranked in the preseason AP Top 25, including a trip to the No. 5 Longhorns on Sept. 12.
“It’s also we got to take this one game at a time, and right now it’s Ball State,” offensive lineman Carson Hinzman said. “For us to have a really competitive schedule, I think it’s really important to us because it shows like, look, we’ve worked so hard for this moment.”
Jim Tressel, who coached Ohio State to the 2002 national championship, will be the third coach added to Ohio Stadium’s Ring of Honor. He led the Buckeyes from 2001-10, which also included title game appearances in 2006 and ’07.
Ohio’s lieutenant governor joins Paul Brown and Woody Hayes as the other coaches in the Ring of Honor.
Saturday’s game will also be Ohio State’s senior day. Day moved it up because he didn’t want another perceived distraction during Michigan week.
Other games to watch this weekend in the Big Ten:
Game of the week: Boise State (0-0) at No. 2 Oregon (0-0), Saturday, 3:30 p..m. EDT (CBS)
Oregon, the only Bowl Subdivision team to win at least 13 games each of the last two seasons, carries an FBS-leading 38-game nonconference home winning streak into its season opener Saturday.
The Ducks have three preseason Associated Press All-America first-team selections in QB Dante Moore, DT A’Mauri Washington and S Koi Perich. CB Brandon Finney made the second team.
Boise State gave Oregon all it could handle before falling 37-34 two years ago, and both teams went on to make the College Football Playoff. The Broncos are coming off a 9-5 season.
The undercard: Wisconsin (0-0) vs. No. 4 Notre Dame (0-0) at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin, Sunday, 7:30 p.m. (NBC)
Former Old Dominion QB Colton Joseph is one of 34 transfers Wisconsin added as it attempts to bounce back from two straight losing seasons, including a 4-8 finish last year. The Badgers are three-touchdown underdogs against a Notre Dame team featuring QB CJ Carr and All-America CB Leonard Moore.
North Texas (0-0) at No. 6 Indiana (0-0), Saturday, noon (Fox)
Indiana begins its national title defense against a North Texas team that went 12-2 last year, though much has changed for the Mean Green since. Former North Texas coach Eric Morris left for Oklahoma State and has nearly two dozen former Mean Green players on his roster, including 2025 passing yardage leader Drew Mestemaker.
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