Ball State at Ohio State - 2026 Matchup Preview

Ball State Cardinals at Ohio State Buckeyes

Saturday, September 5th 2026 (12:00 AM EDT)
Ohio Stadium - Columbus, OH

Cardinals (0 - 0) (0 - 0 - 0)
Coach Mike Uremovich (4 - 8)
Avg Score : 16 - 30 (10 - 36 on Road)
Record Prediction: 0 - 0 (#104)
'26 Opponents: (Elite: ) (Good: ) (Avg: ) (Bad: 0)

Our Line: Ohio State -53.5 (SP+ OSU -53)
Projected Score: BALL: -4 - OSU: 50 (46)
OSU Win prob: 100% | Cover: 50%
BALL Travel: 128 miles

Buckeyes (0 - 0) (0 - 0 - 0)
Coach Ryan Day (82 - 12)
Avg Score : 33 - 9 (42 - 7 @ Home)
Record Prediction: 10 - 2 (#8)
'26 Opponents: (Elite: 5) (Good: 2) (Avg: 3) (Bad: 2)

Matchup
Schedules
BALL Players
OSU Players
Stats
Run/Pass
Ratings
Scoring
History

Ball State's 2026 Schedule

Date	Matchup	Spread	Total	Result	O/U	Cover
Sat 9/5	Ball State at Ohio State	+53.5	—	—	—	—
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/10	Ball State at Northwestern	+27	—	—	—	—

Total: Elite: , Good: , Avg , Bad , Poor
Played: Elite: , Good: , Avg , Bad , Poor
Future: Elite: , Good: , Avg , Bad , Poor
Wins: Elite: , Good: , Avg: , Bad: , Poor:
Losses: Elite: , Good: , Avg: , Bad: , Poor:

Predictions for Ball State's Schedule

Ohio State's 2026 Schedule

Date	Matchup	Spread	Total	Result	O/U	Cover
Sat 9/5	Ohio State vs Ball State	-53.5	—	—	—	—
Sat 9/12	Ohio State at Texas	-4.5	—	—	—	—
Sat 9/19	Ohio State vs Kent State	-49	—	—	—	—
Sat 9/26	Ohio State vs Illinois	-19	—	—	—	—
Sat 10/3	Ohio State at Iowa	-10.5	—	—	—	—
Sat 10/10	Ohio State vs Maryland	-30	—	—	—	—
Sat 10/17	Ohio State at Indiana	+2.5	—	—	—	—
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/31	Ohio State at USC	-6.5	—	—	—	—
Sat 11/7	Ohio State vs Oregon	-5.5	—	—	—	—
Sat 11/14	Ohio State vs Northwestern	-28.5	—	—	—	—
Sat 11/21	Ohio State at Nebraska	-21	—	—	—	—
Sat 11/28	Ohio State vs Michigan	-13	—	—	—	—

Total: Elite: 5, Good: 2, Avg 3, Bad 0, Poor 2
Played: Elite: 0, Good: 0, Avg 0, Bad 0, Poor 0
Future: Elite: 5, Good: 2, Avg 3, Bad 0, Poor 2
Wins: Elite: 0, Good: 0, Avg: 0, Bad: 0, Poor: 0
Losses: Elite: 0, Good: 0, Avg: 0, Bad: 0, Poor: 0

Predictions for Ohio State's Schedule

Important Stats (2025)

Teams	Off Explosive.	Off Success	PPG	Rush Success	OL Yds Per Att	Rush YPG	Pass Success	Pass YPG	Off ScoreZone	Def Explosive.	Def Success	Def PPG	RunD Success	Pass D Success	Def ScoreZone	Penalty YPG	TO PG	Def TO PG
BALL	#134 (-)	33% (136)	15.8	34% (133)	2.52 (130)	134	31% (133)	138	2.71 (132)	#79 (.18)	44% (106)	29.8	47% (112)	44% (97)	3.57 (59)	38.8	1.3	1.1
OSU	#10 (.31)	52% (2)	33.4	45% (47)	2.99 (61)	155	58% (1)	268	4.83 (5)	#3 (-.02)	34% (6)	9.3	31% (3)	38% (32)	2.64 (8)	38.5	0.8	1

Teams	Off Explosive.	Off Success	PPG	Rush Success	OL Yds Per Att	Rush YPG	Pass Success	Pass YPG	Off ScoreZone	Def Explosive.	Def Success	Def PPG	RunD Success	Pass D Success	Def ScoreZone	Penalty YPG	TO PG	Def TO PG
BALL		0%		0%	0	0	0%	0	0		0%		0%	0%	0	0	0	0
OSU		0%		0%	0	0	0%	0	0		0%		0%	0%	0	0	0	0

Overall Stats 2025

Teams	Games	PPG	PPG H/R	Success Rate	Pts PerOpp	TO	1stD PG	TotalYds PG	RushYds PG	PassYdsPG	RYPA	Run Rate	Pass Rate	Run Success	Pass Success	Havoc Rate	Total PPA
BALL Offense	12	15.8	9.7	32.7%	2.71	1.3	15	272	134	138	3.5	55%	42%	34%	31%	21%	-
OSU Defense	14	9.3	7.4	34.4%	2.64	1	-	-	-	-	-	48%	50%	31%	38%	16%	-.02

Teams	Games	PPG	PPG H/R	Success Rate	Pts PerOpp	TO	1stD PG	TotalYds PG	RushYds PG	PassYdsPG	RYPA	Run Rate	Pass Rate	Run Success	Pass Success	Havoc Rate	Total PPA
BALL Defense	12	29.8	35.7	44.5%	3.57	1.1	-	-	-	-	-	52%	46%	47%	44%	14%	.18
OSU Offense	14	33.4	41.6	51.7%	4.83	0.8	23	423	155	268	4.6	48%	51%	45%	58%	11%	.31

Additional Stats 2025

Teams	Games	Possession Time	1st Downs PG	3rd Down %	4th Down %	Penalties PG	Penalty Yds PG	Off TO PG	Def TO PG	TFL PG	Sacks PG	D/ST TDs	Avg Field Pos
Ball State	12	29:44	14.7	34%	53%	4.7	38.8	1.3	1.1	4.6	1.8	1	27.7
Ohio State	14	33:00	22.6	53%	67%	4.1	38.5	0.8	1	5.6	2.5	1	29

Run Game Stats (2026)

Teams	Games	Run Play Rate	Run Play Success	Rush Att PG	Rush Yds PG	Rush Yds Per Att	Rushing TDs	Run Pred Pts Added	OL Yds Per Att	3rd/4th & Short	Front 7 Havoc	Run Play Explosivness
BALL Offense	12	55% (28)	34% (133)	37.8	133.7	3.5	11 (88)	.03 (111)	2.52 (130)	58% (133)	16% (136)	1.09 (23)
OSU Defense	14	48% (50)	31% (3)	-	-	-	-	-.09 (4)	2.5 (10)	59% (9)	11% (17)	0.82 (7)

Teams	Games	Run Play Rate	Run Play Success	Rush Att PG	Rush Yds PG	Rush Yds Per Att	Rushing TDs	Run Pred Pts Added	OL Yds Per Att	3rd/4th & Short	Front 7 Havoc	Run Play Explosivness
BALL Defense	12	52% (99)	47% (112)	-	-	-	-	.16 (98)	2.97 (83)	63% (17)	9% (99)	1.03 (100)
OSU Offense	14	48% (80)	45% (47)	33.6	154.8	4.6	25 (60)	.08 (89)	2.99 (61)	73% (61)	7% (14)	0.78 (133)

Pass Game Stats (2026)

Teams	Games	PassPlay Rate	PassPlay Success	Comp PG	Att PG	Yds PG	Yds PA	Yds PC	TDs	Ints	PassPlays PPA	PassPlays Expl	PassDowns Rate	PassDowns Succ Rate	PassDowns PPA	DB Havoc	PassDowns Expl
BALL Offense	12	42% (112)	31% (133)	13	23.1	138	6	10.6	11 (114)	8 (20)	-.03 (136)	1.6 (64)	36% (132)	22% (133)	.06 (130)	5% (42)	1.9 (89)
OSU Defense	14	50% (89)	38% (32)	-	-	-	-	-	-	8 (100)	.05 (5)	1.2 (1)	36% (12)	23% (5)	.08 (5)	5% (108)	1.7 (7)

Teams	Games	PassPlay Rate	PassPlay Success	Comp PG	Att PG	Yds PG	Yds PA	Yds PC	TDs	Ints	PassPlays PPA	PassPlays Expl	PassDowns Rate	PassDowns Succ Rate	PassDowns PPA	DB Havoc	PassDowns Expl
BALL Defense	12	46% (39)	44% (97)	-	-	-	-	-	-	9 (100)	.3 (93)	1.6 (72)	30% (101)	32% (101)	.33 (89)	5% (90)	2 (64)
OSU Offense	14	51% (54)	58% (1)	22.4	29.1	268.2	9.2	12	33 (22)	8 (20)	.54 (3)	1.4 (117)	24% (2)	39% (7)	.5 (12)	4% (17)	1.9 (90)

Ball State's Power Ratings
Ball State's Power Rating: -19.42 #137
Ball State's Offense Rating: -0.25 #136
Ball State's Defense Rating: 24.17 #128
2026 Talent Rating: 550.00 #110
Blue Chip Ratio: 0% #103
Ball State's 2026 Expected Record: 0.0 - 0.0
Ball State's 2026 Overall SP+ Rating: -23.0 #132
Ball State's Offense SP+ Rating: 13.4 #134
Ball State's Defense SP+ Rating: 34.4 #115

Average Talent
Average Mid-American Talent Rating is 546.62
Average Power Five Talent: 910.63
Average FBS Talent: 728.81

Power Ratings Matchup
Ball State: -19.42 Ohio State: 32.135

SP+ Ratings Matchup
Ball State: -23.0 Ohio State: 30.1

Ohio State's Power Ratings
Ohio State's Power Rating: 32.135 #2
Ohio State's Offense Rating: 32.14 #2
Ohio State's Defense Rating: -4.12 #2
2026 Talent Rating: 1078.00 #6
Blue Chip Ratio: 68 #1
Ohio State's 2026 Expected Record: 10.0 - 2.0
Ohio State's 2026 Overall SP+ Rating: 30.1 #2
Ohio State's Offense SP+ Rating: 37.6 #13
Ohio State's Defense SP+ Rating: 7.7 #1

Average Talent
Average Big Ten Talent Rating is 916.78
Average Power Five Talent: 910.63
Average FBS Talent: 728.81

Ball State Scoring
Offense: 15.8 PPG
Offense on Road: 9.7
Defense: 29.8 PPG
Defense on Road: 35.7

Ball State's 2026 Record
Record: 0 - 0
Record vs Spread: 0 - 0 - 0
Over/Under Record: 0 - 0
Record on Road: 0 - 0
Record vs Spread on Road: 0 - 0 - 0

Projected Score
Ohio State 50
Ball State -4

Projected Total Points: 46

Ohio State Scoring
Offense: 33.4 PPG
Offense at Home: 41.6
Defense: 9.3 PPG
Defense at Home: 7.4

Ohio State's 2026 Record
Record: 0 - 0
Record vs Spread: 0 - 0 - 0
Over/Under Record: 0 - 0
Record at home: 0 - 0
Record vs Spread at home: 0 - 0 - 0

Year	Date	Home	Score	Away	Score	Spread	Cover	Total	O/U

Team	Wins	Covers	O/U
Ohio State	0	0	0 Overs
Ball State	0	0	0 Unders

	Wins	Covers	Favs	Dogs
Home Teams	0 - 0	0 - 0	0 - 0	0 - 0
Road Teams	0 - 0	0 - 0	0 - 0	0 - 0

(#137) BALL at (#2) OSU

Overall StatsOvr
CategoryCat	BALL	OSU
Net PPPPPP	NR	NR
Power RatePwr	#137	#2
SP+SP+	#132	#2
Perf GradeGrade	NR	NR
OffenseOff	NR	NR
DefenseDef	NR	NR
Spec TeamsST	NR	NR
TalentTal	#110	#6
Blue ChipsBC%	#103	#1

Ball State Notes(3/4) Vibes: If this team wins 2 games I'll be shocked
(3/4) QB Luster (Tx St) taken 6 snaps, most exp'd QB
(3/4) RB Horton has some exp, rough unit on paper
(3/4) WR 2 exp'd starters (meh), 4 portal adds
(3/4) OL looks OK, 4 very exp'd starters, tons of bodies
(3/4) Def 13 portals need to help, esp 4 on a rough DL
(3/4) This is the worst Def on paper I've seen this year
Ball State Injury Report

Ohio State Notes(2/15) Vibes: High, although expectations are extreme
(2/26) Day wants more tempo, is that OC Smith’s style?
(2/15) DBs great S adds (Moore, Little). CB could be ?
(2/15) 10 portal adds were starters (8 from P4)
(2/7) Shocking that OSU has not won B1G since '20
(2/6) QB Sayin back, most accurate QB in CFB, depth?
(1/29) New OC Smith (Steelers/Atl HC). More NFL guys?
(1/29) RB Jackson a revelation LY. Have depth + portal
(1/29) WR Smith best in CFB + Inniss, 2 good Portal adds
(1/29) OL has 4 starters back, lots of talented options
(1/29) DL big boost w/ Jackson & Atkinson back. Deep
(1/29) DT has depth + 2 portal starters. Have options
Ohio State Injury Report

Ball State on Offense

Run heavy Offense 55%, Pass: 42%
CategoryCat	BALL Off	OSU Def
PPPOffPPP	NR	NR
Perf GradePerf	NR	NR
SuccessSuc	#136	#6
ExplosiveExp	#38	#2
PPAPPA	#134	#3
PowerPwr	#136	#2
SP+SP+	#134	#1
Pts POPPO	#132	#8
HavocHav	#135	#57

Ball State Run Game

Run heavy Offense 55%, Pass: 42%
CategoryCat	BALL Off	OSU Def
Run GameRun	NR	NR
Run SuccessRSuc	#133	#3
Run ExplRExp	#23	#7
PPAExp	#111	#4
Run BlockR Blk	NR	-
OL YdsOLY	#130	#10
Stuff RateStuff	#123	#14
TackleTak	-	NR

Ball State Pass Game

Run heavy Offense 55%, Pass: 42%
CategoryCat	BALL Off	OSU Def
Pass GamePass	NR	NR
Pass SuccessPSuc	#133	#32
Pass ExplPExl	#64	#1
PPAExp	#136	#5
Pass Rush/BlockP Blk	NR	NR
F7 HavocF7	#136	#17
DB HavocDB	#42	#108

Ohio State on Offense

Balanced offense, Pass: 50%, Run: 49%
CategoryCat	OSU Off	BALL Def
PPPDefPPP	NR	NR
Perf GradePerf	NR	NR
SuccessSuc	#2	#106
ExplosiveExp	#124	#70
PPAPPA	#10	#79
PowerPwr	#2	#128
SP+SP+	#13	#115
Pts POPPO	#5	#59
HavocHav	#6	#105

Ohio State Run Game

Balanced offense, Pass: 50%, Run: 49%
CategoryCat	OSU Off	BALL Def
Run GameRun	NR	NR
Run SuccessRSuc	#47	#112
Run ExplRExp	#133	#100
PPAExp	#89	#98
Run BlockR Blk	NR	-
OL YdsOLY	#61	#83
Stuff RateStuff	#73	#41
TackleTak	-	NR

Ohio State Pass Game

Balanced offense, Pass: 50%, Run: 49%
CategoryCat	OSU Off	BALL Def
Pass GamePass	NR	NR
Pass SuccessPSuc	#1	#97
Pass ExplPExl	#117	#72
PPAExp	#3	#93
Pass Block/RushP Blk	NR	NR
F7 HavocF7	#14	#99
DB HavocDB	#17	#90

Program Comparison
OSU 5 Year Profile: Consistent CFB Elites
'26 Profile: Remains CFB Elites

BALL 5 Year Profile: Consistent Poor G5
'26 Profile: Remains Poor G5

Weather Forecast
Playing in Ohio Stadium
Conditions:
Temp: 0°

No Matchups Past 4 Years

BALL's OC Mike Uremovich (in his second season)

Player Name	COMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	TD	INT	YPA
Keldric Luster (Tr)	1	3	33%	14	0	0	4.7

Player Name	CAR	YDS	TD	YPC	LONG
TJ Horton	60	180	0	3.0	13
Jalen Bonds	27	77	1	2.9	15
Johnny Thompson Jr. (Tr)	19	75	0	3.9	9
Elijah Jackson	8	17	0	2.1	7

Player Name	REC	YDS	TD	YPC	LONG
CJ Nelson (Tr)	22	393	3	17.9	75
Donovan Hamilton	20	244	0	12.2	47
Jabari Smith	15	166	3	11.1	37
TJ Horton	15	71	1	4.7	19

View Ball State's Full Roster

BALL's DC Jeff Knowles (been DC for 3 years)

Top Def	Tack	TFL	SACKS	PD
Willizhuan Yates	32	0	0	6
Tobi Adewoyin	14	0	0	0
Ameir Glenn	13	3	1	0
Deondre Shepherd	13	1	0	0

Sacks	Tack	TFL	SACKS	PRESS	PD
Maverick Gracio (Tr)	4	2	1	2	1
Ameir Glenn	13	3	1	0	0
Jared Badie (Tr)	8	2	1	4	0
Ben Marsh	7	2	1	0	0

Pass D	Tack	TFL	SACKS	PRESS	PD
Willizhuan Yates	32	0	0	0	6
Maverick Gracio (Tr)	4	2	1	2	1
Ameir Glenn	13	3	1	0	0

OSU's OC Arthur Smith (in his first season)

Player Name	COMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	TD	INT	YPA
Julian Sayin	301	391	77%	3610	32	8	9.2
Tavien St. Clair	0	2	0%	0	0	0	0.0

Player Name	CAR	YDS	TD	YPC	LONG
Bo Jackson	179	1090	6	6.1	64
Isaiah West	59	310	2	5.3	38
Ja'Kobi Jackson (Tr)	27	98	0	3.6	27
Jeremiah Smith	3	21	1	7.0	17

Player Name	REC	YDS	TD	YPC	LONG
Jeremiah Smith	87	1243	12	14.3	87
Devin Mccuin (Tr)	65	726	8	11.2	52
Kyle Parker (Tr)	31	330	4	10.6	43
Hunter Welcing (Tr)	28	296	2	10.6	36

View Ohio State's Full Roster

OSU's DC Matt Patricia (in his second season)

Top Def	Tack	TFL	SACKS	PD
Earl Little II	76	2	0	2
Jaylen McClain	53	0	0	3
Christian Alliegro (Tr)	48	8	4	1
Payton Pierce	44	2	0	0

Sacks	Tack	TFL	SACKS	PRESS	PD
Kenyatta Jackson	28	11	7	2	2
Christian Alliegro (Tr)	48	8	4	0	1
Eddrick Houston	21	4	3	1	0
James Smith (Tr)	26	7	3	2	1

Pass D	Tack	TFL	PD
Dominick Kelly (Tr)	3	0	3
Jaylen McClain	53	0	3
Earl Little II	76	2	2