There is usually a little theater to opening week, but Ohio State does not appear to be entering Saturday with many mysteries. The No. 1 team in the polls is already mostly settled on its depth chart, and that is a meaningful sign this close to a 12:30 p.m. ET kickoff against Ball State. When a program is chasing a second national title in three years, the real question is often not who is available, but how many of the jobs are already spoken for.
That is especially true for Ohio State, which reached the 2024 national championship run with Austin Siereveld, Carson Hinzman and Luke Montgomery playing major roles, and then saw that same trio start every game last season. Continuity matters in a sport that can still be decided by one protection bust or one clean pocket, and Ohio State has clearly built toward that kind of stability. The most obvious takeaway from preseason camp is that this is a team that knows who it wants to be, even if a few final decisions are still hanging in the air.
The main battles left
The unresolved spots are fairly specific. The offensive line and the backup quarterback jobs remain the biggest competitions mentioned, which means Ohio State has already trimmed much of the uncertainty before it gets to Ball State. That does not mean everything is locked in stone, but it does mean the staff has entered game week with a plan rather than a puzzle. For a team built to survive the pressure of a national championship run, that kind of clarity is a real advantage.
The depth chart also points to the broader shape of the roster. At quarterback, Julian Sayin is the name to watch, while Tavien St. Clair and Luke Fahey sit in the conversation behind him. At running back, Bo Jackson, Isaiah West and Ja’Kobi Jackson are part of the picture, with Legend Bey also in the mix. On the line, the familiar names matter because they tell you this is not a total reset; it is more a refinement of what Ohio State already had.
That is why the opener against Ball State is less about suspense than about confirmation. Ryan Day gets a first real look at how the pieces fit in live action, and he also gets a useful baseline before deeper tests arrive later in the schedule. The program’s ceiling is obvious, but the opening game can still reveal whether the current structure is as stable as it looks on paper.
For Ohio State, that balance is the point. A mostly settled depth chart does not guarantee anything in September, but it usually tells you the staff believes the roster is ready to compete immediately. If the No. 1 team can protect that stability and settle the last few open jobs without losing rhythm, it will head into the season looking every bit like a team built for another title push.
