3 hardest games on Ohio State Football’s 2023 schedule

The Ohio State football team has a challenging schedule in 2023 and we look at the three hardest games for the Buckeyes this season.

This is a really important season for Ohio State football and head coach Ryan Day. The Buckeyes are facing a three-game losing streak to Michigan and that could spell trouble for Day.

It’s hard to believe a head coach could get fired or forced out after multiple playoff berths and conference championships, but this is Ohio State football we are talking about.

Also, to be fair, it sort of happened already with John Cooper, although it’s too early to make that comparison.

Regardless, there are some important games on the schedule besides the Wolverines, and with that game included, here are the three most difficult games for Ohio State football in 2023.

3. Penn State at Ohio State (Oct. 21)

I was tempted to put the road game at Wisconsin third. The Badgers could be a challenge especially if the offense is dynamic and Luke Fickell can continue to keep Wisconsin elite on the defensive side of the ball.

The Badgers did take a slight step back defensively and they’ve always struggled to defend Ohio State, especially since Day has been calling the plays.

Penn State is going to be good — really good, especially if Drew Allar takes a big leap and has a season similar to that of J.J. McCarthy.

This will be a test, but it’s not the hardest game on the schedule for Ohio State football.

2. Ohio State at Notre Dame (Sept. 23)

Playing in South Bend is never easy and that stadium is going to be rocking for the Buckeyes, who defeated the Irish in Columbus last season.

A big difference between this year and last year is that Notre Dame will have Sam Hartman at quarterback. He’s a big upgrade over Tyler Buchner. At least on paper. The Irish should be stout on defense and they can run the ball too, even though Logan Diggs transferred to LSU.

Ohio State needs this game because even if it lost to Michigan if OSU went 11-1, it would still have a really solid resume.

1. Ohio State at Michigan (Nov. 25)

This game will define the 2023 season for the Ohio State Buckeyes. It’s going to be a tall order. Michigan football is loaded with returners including two elite backs and J.J. McCarthy.

It feels like in the last three seasons, this Michigan team will be the most talented, but that doesn’t always mean the most wins.

However, it does mean that winning in Ann Arbor is going to be a tall order, and if the Buckeyes haven’t found a way to stop the run and win the trenches again, the result won’t be any different.