Game Preview: No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No. 12 Oregon Ducks

Ohio State has a major test in front of them on Saturday afternoon at The Shoe with the Oregon Ducks in town.

Ohio State is ready to launch the 100th season of football at legendary Ohio Stadium. Saturday's game marks the first home game - with fans - in 657 days ... and boy has Buckeye Nation missed tailgating and cheering on their team in one of the cathedrals of college football.

The Buckeyes have historically fared well against Oregon, but they have only played the Ducks twice since 1988. There is so much at stake on Saturday with two programs that have high hopes for winning a national title. A win on Saturday would be a massive selling point on the 2021 resume.

Both teams have said the right things all week and haven't had much drama in the days leading up to this one. With FOX Big Noon Kickoff in town and with only one other game around the nation pinning Top 25 teams against each other, all eyes are on Columbus.

Here's a full preview for the game between the reigning conference champions in the Big Ten and Pac-12.

General Info

Date: September 11, 2021
Where: Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
Expected Weather: 76 degrees, sunny skies
Kickoff: 12:00 p.m.

Current Betting Numbers

Spread: Ohio State (-14.5)
O/U Total: 63.5

How to Watch/Listen

Television: FOX
Streaming: Fubo TV
Announcers: Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst), Jenny Taft (sideline reporter)

Local Radio: Ohio State Sports Network from Learfield IMG College
Flagship: WBNS 97.1 The Fan
Announcers: Paul Keels (play-by-play), Jim Lachey (analyst), Matt Andrews (sideline reporter), Skip Mosic (pregame/halftime/postgame host and producer )

National Radio: Westwood One
Announcers: Dan Miller (play-by-play), Dereck Rackely (analyst)

Series History

Ohio State leads Oregon, 9-0
* OSU record at home: 5-0
* OSU record on the road/neutral: 4-0

Ohio State leads series, 9-0-0
Record when both teams are ranked: Ohio State leads, 2-0-0
Record when both teams are in the top 10: Ohio State leads, 2-0-0
Record when only Ohio State is ranked: Ohio State leads, 5-0-0
Longest winning streak by Ohio State: 9 games
Most points scored by Ohio State: 42 (Jan. 12, 2015)
Most points scored by Oregon: 20 (Jan. 12, 2015)
Largest margin of victory by Ohio State: +30 (Oct. 7, 1967)

LAST FIVE GAMES

2015: Ohio State - 42, Oregon - 20 ... CFP National Championship Game
2010: Ohio State - 26, Oregon - 17 ... Rose Bowl
1987: Ohio State - 24, Oregon - 14
1983: Ohio State - 31, Oregon - 6 
1968: Ohio State - 21, Oregon - 6

The Buckeyes have never lost to Oregon, including their most recent matchup in the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Ohio State also has Rose Bowl wins over the Ducks in 1958 and 2010. The 1958 game was a 10-7 win and cemented Woody Hayes' second national championship.

Coaching Matchup

* Ryan Day
* At Ohio State: Third Season, Record: 24-2
* Overall: Same

* Mario Cristobal
* At Oregon: Fourth Season, Record 26-10
* Overall: Tenth Season, Record: 53-57

Ohio State Team Capsule

The Buckeyes return 11 of their 22 starters from the 2020 team that went unbeaten in Big Ten play, won a fourth straight conference championship and qualified for its second straight (and fourth overall) College Football Playoff appearance.

C.J. Stroud guided an offense in the first game of the season that hit big play after big play. The Buckeyes broke an all-time program single-game record by averaging 10.3 yards per play against Minnesota last week, scoring six touchdowns (one defensive) and a field goal on just 48 total plays. TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams emerged with break out performances at running back, while Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson continued to shine as the nation's top receiving tandem.

Defensively, the Buckeyes were "good enough" to win the opener. The unit was powered by seven new starters last week and has a few health concerns coming into this game. Josh Proctor left Week 1 with an injury and his status is unknown, although he was reportedly seen coming off the practice field this week. Sevyn Banks and Cam Brown didn't play at corner last week, leaving freshman Ryan Watts and Denzel Burke to make their first collegiate starts. The Buckeyes are leaning on returning D-Linemen Zach Harrison, Tyreke Smith and Haskell Garrett to shoulder the load up front.

Oregon Team Capsule

Oregon is coming off a second straight Pac-12 championship season in 2020, but they weren't really considered for one of the four coveted spots in the College Football Playoff. Now with a much more predictable season and outlook this year, the Ducks are hoping for a Mario Cristobal-era defining win to vault them right into that CFP conversation.

They've got their work cut out for them, but this Ducks team has some real talent. Sixth year senior quarterback Anthony Brown guides the offense after transferring in from Boston College before the start of the 2020 campaign. He appeared in just two games last year, but this is now his team. He's got the most productive running back combination in the country behind him, as C.J. Verdell and Travis Dye have combined for more career rushing yards (4,501) than any other active duo in FBS.

Defensively, if he's healthy and able to play, the Ducks might have the best player on the field with projected high first round NFL Draft pick, defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux. Unfortunately, Thibodeaux sprained his ankle last week and was taken out of the game. Oregon has said several times this week he is day-to-day. The Ducks desperately need him to be healthy this weekend.

Beyond their star pass-rusher, the Ducks have two terrific linebackers in Noah Sewell and Justin Flowe. They have a fairly experienced secondary, led by Mykael Wright, and they'll get Jamal Hill and D.J. James back from suspension this week.

For more, check out our Offensive and Defensive Scouting Reports on the Ducks this week.

Major Storylines

Honoring Our Past, 20 Years After Sept. 11

Ohio State is planning to pay its respects to our servicemen and women throughout our country while the host a game on the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The Buckeyes are going to wear a special helmet decal to commemorate the day. To see the decal and to learn more about it and what Ryan Day's memories of 9-11-2001 were, click here.

Ohio State Streaks

• Ohio State has won 16 consecutive Big Ten Conference games under Ryan Day, and 19 consecutive conference games overall (last loss at Purdue in 2018). The Buckeyes are 14-0 all-time when beginning the season with a Big Ten opponent.
• Ohio State has won 22 consecutive regular season games (Purdue; 2018) and 23 consecutive home games (Oklahoma; 2017).
• The Buckeyes are 6-0 in games during which both Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson score a touchdown.
• Since 2018, Ohio State has scored 40 or more points in 62.1 percent of its games (23 of 37) ... That mark is the fourth highest in the country, behind only Alabama (76 percent), Clemson (62.7 percent) and Oklahoma (62.5 percent).
• Ohio State has won seven straight games against the Pac-12, losing most recently to USC in 2009.
• Ohio State has won 40 of its last 42 home openers dating back to 1979. The only losses in that stretch to Virginia Tech in 2014 and their most-recent home loss in general - Oklahoma in 2017.

Fans Return to the Shoe

FINALLY.

Ohio State announced earlier this week that it still had 10,000 tickets remaining for the first home game of the season, but that also meant that roughly 90,000 tickets had been sold and the Buckeyes are going to play in front of raucous crowd for the first time in a very, very long time.

It also means that all of the traditional game day pomp and circumstance returns: Brutus, the cheerleaders, The Best Damn Band In The Land and tailgating are all going to be back in full force on Saturday. Stay safe, and have a great time! We have missed this so very much.

There are lots of new protocols and game day regulations you should know if you're planning to attend the game. We've laid out the highlights here, including where you need to have your mask and where you don't.

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Be sure to check out our brand new message boards, Buckeye Forums. We'd love to have you part of the conversation during the season.

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Oregon To Wear New All-White Uniforms Against Ohio State On Sept. 11

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