By The Nov. 7 game between Oregon and Ohio State was once predicted to be the game of the season in the Big Ten Conference.
The preseason No. 1 Buckeyes hosting the preseason No. 2 Ducks in 102,780-seat Ohio Stadium in Columbus, with a pair of preseason Heisman Trophy favorites at quarterback in Oregon's Dante Moore and Ohio State's Julian Sayin.
Instead, it'll be two teams playing their backups at QB due to injuries and trying to keep their respective seasons from falling off a cliff when Oregon (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) and No. 10 Ohio State (6-2, 4-1) play at 12:30 p.m. PT Saturday.
The Ducks, who are coming off a 34-26 win against then-No. 18 Northwestern at Autzen Stadium, have been dealing with the loss of Moore for six weeks and 4½ games. The Buckeyes experienced life without Sayin for the first time last week and lost 30-18 to USC in Los Angeles. It was Ohio State's fewest points scored in a game this season. The Buckeyes' other loss was against No. 11 Texas in the second game of the season.
Here's an early look at Ohio State.
Who is the Ohio State QB?
With Sayin out, the Buckeyes have turned to freshman Luke Fahey, a 5-foot-11, 206-pound former four-star recruit from Mission Viejo, Calif. Fahey made his first career start this past Saturday against the Trojans and finished 21-for-38 passing for 260 yards and one touchdown on a score that didn’t come until the final two minutes of the game.
Other Ohio State offensive standouts
The Buckeyes have arguably the best player in all of college football and a generational talent at wide receiver in Jeremiah Smith. The junior has 62 catches for 1,067 yards 13 touchdowns his season, bringing the 6-4, 222-pound junior’s career totals to 225 catches, 3,625 yards and 40 TDs.
Ohio State also has talent at running back. Sophomore Bo Jackson leads the team with 637 yards and four touchdowns on 128 carries.
Defensive standouts for Ohio State
The Buckeyes had seven defensive players selected in the 2026 NFL draft, including three who were among the top 11 overall picks. In other words, there was a lot to replace. Standing out statistically this season have been fifth-year safety Earl Little Jr. and junior linebacker Payton Pierce, who are tied for the team lead with 43 tackles each. Fith-year defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. has 26 tackles and leads the team in tackles for loss (5.5) and sacks (3.0). Overall, Ohio State has only four interceptions and 11 sacks.
The last time the Ducks and Buckeyes met
The 2024 season included two games between Oregon and Ohio State, with the Ducks winning 32-31 in a regular-season thriller at Autzen Stadium, then losing 41-21 in a Rose Bowl rout on New Year’s Day in a College Football Playoff game.
Maybe more relevant to Saturday’s matchup is the last time Oregon played in Columbus. In 2021, before the Ducks joined the Big Ten, they defeated the then-No. 3 Buckeyes 35-28 in front of a crowd of 100,482 inside The Shoe. Running back CJ Verdell finished with 161 yards and two TDs, including a 77 yarder early in the second half that put Oregon up 21-7. Quarterback Anthony Brown threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns and safety Verone McKinley III sealed the win with an interception in the final minutes.
Until that day, the Ducks had been 0-9 against the Buckeyes.
Game time for Oregon football vs. Ohio State
- When: Saturday, Nov. 7
- Time: 12:30 p.m. PT
- Where: Ohio Stadium
How to watch Oregon football vs. Ohio State
- TV channel: CBS
- Streaming:Paramount+
- Other viewing options:
- Radio: KUGN-AM (590), KUJZ-FM (95.3)
Betting line for Oregon football vs. Ohio State
Odds courtesy of BetMGM sportsbook as of Sunday, Nov. 7.
- Spread: Ohio State by 7.5 points
- Over/under: 48.5
- Moneyline: Oregon +280, Ohio State -350
Chris Hansen covers University of Oregon football, men’s basketball, track and field, cross country and softball for The Register-Guard. You can reach him at chansen@registerguard.com.
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This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Ohio State is up next for Oregon football. A sneak preview
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ohio-state-next-oregon-football-141050999.html