COLUMBUS, Ohio — The wait is finally over. Ohio State football is back.
It will look a little bit different this year without C.J. Stroud under center, but head coach Ryan Day is putting his trust in third-year player Kyle McCord (for now) to lead Ohio State to excellence. It helps when you have Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka to throw the ball to as well.
Anyways, let's get into it. Here's this week's 10 Things To Know.
1.) This is the fifth time Ohio State has started the season on the road since 2010. Don't be worried if the Buckeyes are down early. Ohio State trailed at half in the previous four games but came back to win.
2.) The Buckeyes have won 22 straight season-opening games dating back to the 1999 loss to Miami in the Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium in New Jersey.
3.) Ohio State has a 78-12-5 record against Indiana. The last time the Buckeyes lost to the Hoosiers? 1988.
4.) The Buckeyes are undefeated in 15 season-opening Big Ten games with the last two in 2021 at Minnesota and 2017 at Iowa.
5.) Kyle McCord has big shoes to fill as a first-year starter. The three previous first-year starters that Day has coached at Ohio State (Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud) have averaged 4,179 passing yards, 45 TDs and just six interceptions.
6.) The positions of wide receiver and linebacker are the most veteran and experienced for the Buckeyes entering the season. There are 38 combined starts between Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming and 44 combined starts between Tommy Eichenberg, Steele Chambers and Cody Simon.
7.) Ohio State has averaged over 40 points per game for six straight years. No other school can match that.
8.) The Buckeyes are ranked No. 3 in AP's preseason poll. This is the 10th time in the last 11 seasons Ohio State has started a season ranked in the top five.
9.) Ohio State has scored 20 or more points in 74 straight games, which passed Oklahoma last season for the FBS record.
10.) The Buckeyes have the third most wins since 2012 with 128. Alabama has the most with 139 wins and Clemson is second with 132.