Head coach Ryan Day during the fourth quarter. Ohio State beat Kent State 59-3 on Sept. 19, 2026. Credit: Cassandra D’Angelo | Sport Photo Editor.
It has been six seasons since the last time Ohio State won the Big Ten championship.
Despite having the most wins among teams in the conference during that span, the Buckeyes have not recaptured the Big Ten title since 2020.
Ohio State’s first step to claiming the conference championship starts with its first Big Ten matchup against Illinois.
The Buckeyes will open their conference schedule against the Fighting Illini, who defeated the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Southern Illinois, but lost to Duke.??
“We’re about to go on a run here of nine games and it starts right here with a really good Illinois team,” head coach Ryan Day said.?
Here are three takeaways from Day’s Tuesday press conference at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
Offensive third-down conversion rate?
A season ago, Ohio State’s offense finished with the second-highest third-down conversion rate in the country, just behind the national champion Indiana Hoosiers.?
Through the first three games in the 2026 season, the Buckeyes’ offense has struggled in that area.
Despite defeating Kent State 59-3 Saturday, Ohio State’s offense converted on one of eight third-down plays and are 12-of-33 on the season.?
“Third down is not where it needs to be right now,” Day said. “Thinking about where we are right now, we’re 12 of 33, coming off of last year I think we were like second in the country in third down conversion. So those things have got to get better and get better fast.”
The Buckeyes currently have the worst offensive third down percentage in the Big Ten at 36.4%.
Ohio State picked up a first down on one of its five third-down plays of four yards or less on Saturday.?
“When we find ourselves in short yardage situations, we have to convert,” Day said. “That’s where games are won and lost and if we’re going to reach our goals this year and play well in the conference we’re going to have to get that done.”?
Start of Big Ten play
Ohio State enters Big Ten competition with a loss for just the second time in Day’s eight seasons as head coach.??
The Buckeyes will face five teams that are currently ranked in the AP top 25 poll during their nine-game conference slate.?
Ohio State has defeated its first opponent from the conference, Illinois, in nine straight games.
“Every time you’re in this conference you’re going to play against really good coaches and really good players, and this [game’s] no different,” Day said.?
Running game play
Prior to the start of the 2026 season, Day emphasized that it would be crucial for Ohio State’s running backs to succeed at the second level of the defense, by either making defenders miss or running through contact.
Day evaluated how he thought that Ohio State’s running backs have done in that area so far.
“When it comes to the second level, I think that there’s been signs in the first two games that [were] very good, [but] not in this past game when you watch the film,” Day said. “That’s a challenge to them, yeah, but we’ve got to get better in those areas.”
The Buckeyes rank 10th in the Big Ten in rushing yards per game, and had four of their 38 rushing attempts total over 10 yards during Ohio State’s 59-3 win over Kent State. Day said he thought the running backs did not take advantage of the offensive line’s blocks.
“I thought we had some really good big holes in the game and really should have been explosive plays and they weren’t,” Day said. “But those guys know that they’re challenged, they own it, and so we’ve got to have a good week of practice and we’ve got to make sure we’re practicing some of those situations, not that we haven’t done it it was a huge emphasis in the offseason, so needs to show up here against Illinois.”
