3 most important games for Ohio State football in 2024

Ryan Day is feeling the pressure ahead of the 2024 season. Ohio State football needs to win the Big Ten again and assert its dominance atop the conference and the college football world.

It's been four years since the Buckeyes last won a Big Ten title and it's been since 2019 that they last beat Michigan. Those stats aren't going to make a lot of Ohio State fans too happy and that's why Day needs to prove that this recent stretch by Michigan was just a fluke and he's prepared to get the Buckeyes back to the top of the Big Ten.

There will be a few games standing in his way as he completes this quest. Here are the Buckeyes' three most important games during the upcoming season.

3. at Penn State (Nov. 2)

This is a game that's gone Ohio State's way pretty much every year, but James Franklin might have his best team since he won the conference championship eight years ago and he'll get a chance to host the Buckeyes in a November showdown in Happy Valley.

This game could legitimately decide which one of these two teams will be playing for a Big Ten title and it could also be a playoff elimination game, of sorts.

To say this is a big game would be an understatement.

2. Michigan (Nov. 30)

Is it weird to see that Michigan isn't No. 1 on the list of important games for Ohio State this season? Well, that's because I think the Wolverines are going to take a step back with Jim Harbaugh, Blake Corum, and JJ McCarthy gone and Sherrone Moore in his first year as head coach.

This is still important because a Big Ten title could be on the line and bragging rights against the Wolverines are up for grabs -- Ohio State hasn't owned those in four years.

Day needs to win this one for a multitude of reasons. Imagine if he lost to Michigan for a fourth straight season and second time at home to miss out on the playoff and a Big Ten title. He'd never live that down.

1. at Oregon (Oct. 12)

The one game that I believe will stand in the way of Ohio State's undefeated season more than any other is the mid-October road trip to Eugene to face the newest Big Ten contender, Oregon.

Dan Lanning and the Ducks are my pick to push Ohio State the hardest in the Big Ten standings this year and they're the biggest threats to the Buckeyes' title hopes. Going to Autzen Stadium and winning would make the season and would almost surely guarantee a Big Ten title game berth while a loss would mean Ohio State would have to win out (at Penn State and Michigan).

The Oregon game is critical.