Quinn Ewers was injured. The atmosphere at Ohio Stadium will undoubtedly be unlike any he has seen before in his short time as starter, though. Despite this being the season opener for both teams, the Longhorns and Buckeyes will be desperate to earn a win like this before the calendar turns to September to set the tone for a possible return trip to the College Football Playoff for both teams. A loss to Texas will add to Ohio State’s questions for the 2025 season, especially if Julian Sayin or Lincoln Kienholz fail to live up to the moment. 2) @ Michigan 11/29 Most people probably figured that the Michigan game would take the top spot on this list after the Buckeyes have lost four straight to the Wolverines. While it’s the No. 1 game I want Ohio State to win on their regular season schedule this year, I don’t think it is going to be their toughest or trickiest contest. Even though Ohio State has questions about who will be their starting quarterback this year, Michigan has even more uncertainty. The Wolverines did bring in Fresno State quarterback Mikey Keene in the transfer portal, but that is only a short-term solution in Ann Arbor. The long-term answer is Bryce Underwood, who Michigan gave a big sack of NIL cash to so he would spurn LSU and join the Wolverines. Michigan fans may think Underwood is their next great quarterback, even though he still has yet to take a snap in a college game. Much like Ohio State, Michigan has a lot of key personnel to replace on defense this year. The reason I’m not as worried about the Wolverines as I am another game on Ohio State’s 2025 schedule is coaching. After winning the national title last year, I feel like Ryan Day is going to have a little different philosophy heading into this year’s game, which will have his team playing a little more relaxed. On the other side, I don’t think Sherrone Moore is all that good of a head coach and as Jim Harbaugh’s influence on the team fades with each recruiting class, you’ll see Moore’s seat start to get hotter. 1) Penn State 11/1 If there ever was a year for James Franklin to finally win a big game, this feels like it. The Nittany Lions return Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, and Kaytron Allen on offense. The spice to this game was kicked up a couple notches when former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles decided to leave Columbus for State College after winning a national title with the Buckeyes. While I can understand returning to your home state of Pennsylvania, there’s not a check big enough that could make me willingly move to State College. Penn State always plays Ohio State tough. About once a decade the Nittany Lions find a way to pull one over on the Buckeyes. With the talent Franklin has returning to State College, this feels like a year that could see Penn State beat Ohio State. I would love to be wrong and see the Buckeyes beat Franklin and the Nittany Lions again and make the Penn State faithful doubt Franklin even more in big games. It doesn’t help the Buckeyes that Knowles is now the enemy. Day could be hurt by now having to go up against someone he worked with for a few years, who knows his tendencies and habits. That’s probably why Franklin and Penn State threw a big bag at Knowles. Even though the Nittany Lions will still have to win on the field, they certainly are exploring every avenue to try and upend Ohio State.