Ohio State faces Oregon without Julian Sayin

Ohio State owns the margin and the clock

Against Power 4 opponents, Ohio State is +60 in point margin, 16th nationally and third in the Big Ten. Oregon is +4 in the same games, 30th nationally and seventh in the Big Ten.

Ohio State gains 433 yards a game, 15th nationally, and allows 315, 12th. Oregon gains 361 and allows 393, ranking 37th and 46th.

Ohio State holds the ball 33:43 a game, third nationally, against 26:30 for Oregon, 80th. The Buckeyes are +1 in turnover margin, 23rd, while the Ducks are -4, 76th.

Where it's decided

When Ohio State has the ball, it brings the best passing offense in the Big Ten against Power 4 opponents, 284 yards a game and seventh nationally. Ohio State succeeds on 46.2% of its passes, 16th nationally. The Oregon defense ranks 16th nationally in success rate allowed at 38.9% and 22nd against the pass at 39.0%. Against top-25 defenses this season, Texas, Iowa and Indiana, Ohio State went 2-1 and succeeded on 42.6% of snaps, against 48.8% in all its games.

Ohio State converts 47.1% of its third downs, 11th nationally, and Oregon allows 35.1%, 19th. The Buckeyes end 51.6% of their drives with points, ninth nationally.

Bo Jackson leads Ohio State in rushing yards with 637 and has 4 touchdowns. Devin McCuin is second on the Buckeyes in receiving yards with 285.

When Oregon has the ball, the Ducks throw for 242 yards a game against Power 4 opponents, 28th nationally, and run for 119, 49th. The Ohio State defense allows 207 passing yards, 20th, and 108 rushing yards, 18th.

Oregon succeeds on 37.9% of its snaps, down from 46.1% last season. Against top-25 defenses this season, UCLA and Nebraska, Oregon went 1-1 and succeeded on 32.4% of snaps, against 43.2% in all its games. Oregon converts 29.8% of its third downs, 72nd nationally. In the red zone, Oregon scores on 90.9% of trips against Power 4 opponents, 21st nationally, and Ohio State allows scores on 88.2%, 59th.

Dylan Raiola leads Oregon in passing yards with 1,097, with 9 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, and he has raised his total in three straight games, from 43 to 59, 246 and 336. Dakorien Moore leads Oregon in receiving yards with 545 and in catches with 41, and last week he had his first 100-yard game, 128 yards against Northwestern, topping his previous best of 93. Evan Stewart adds 423 receiving yards, and Dierre Hill Jr. is second on the Ducks in rushing yards with 399, with 20 catches for 209 yards.

Jeremiah Smith is two touchdowns from FBS history

Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith needs 2 touchdown catches to pass the 5 players tied at 41 for 11th in FBS history. Two would also give Smith 15 this season. Smith leads Ohio State in receiving yards with 1,067, second in FBS, and his 13 touchdown catches are tied for second.

Smith leads the Buckeyes and the Big Ten with 62 catches, and he is the only FBS player this season with two 200-yard receiving games. Smith has a touchdown catch in 5 straight games and is one of 3 FBS players with two or more touchdown catches in four games, along with Oregon State's Jesse Legree and Miami's Malachi Toney.

From No. 2 to No. 12 in a week

Ohio State was No. 2 last week, then lost 30-18 at USC, and is No. 12 now. Bo Jackson ran for a career-high 121 yards against USC, topping his previous best of 117 against Michigan in 2025.

Oregon plays close games

Oregon is 3-2 in one-score games this season.

Aaron Scott Jr. comes back to Columbus

Oregon's Aaron Scott Jr. faces Ohio State for the first time since leaving. Scott played for the Buckeyes in 2024-25, making 11 tackles and 1 pass breakup, then transferred to Oregon as a 3-star transfer.

Raiola came to Oregon as a 4-star transfer from Nebraska. Oregon safety Koi Perich, a transfer from Minnesota, leads the Ducks in tackles with 53 and has 2 interceptions. Ohio State safety Earl Little Jr. came from Florida State and is tied for the Buckeyes' lead in tackles with 43.

Ryan Day is 1-2 against Oregon and 34-12 against ranked teams as a head coach. Dan Lanning is 17-9 against ranked teams as a head coach.

Ohio State had 11 players drafted, including 2 linebackers, 2 safeties and 2 tight ends, with 7 in the first two rounds. Four went in the top 11: receiver Carnell Tate fourth overall, linebackers Arvell Reese fifth and Sonny Styles seventh, and safety Caleb Downs 11th. Ohio State returns 34% of its 2025 tackles.

Oregon had 7 players drafted, including 2 safeties and 2 offensive guards, with 2 in the first two rounds: tight end Kenyon Sadiq at No. 16 and safety Dillon Thieneman at No. 25.

Oregon without Davison, Ohio State without Sayin

Update, Sat, Nov 7, 12:30 PM CT: Since Friday's report, Ohio State downgraded Brandon Inniss (doubtful to out), Brock Boyd (doubtful to out) and Eli Lee (doubtful to out). Since Friday's report, Oregon downgraded Jeremiah McClellan (probable to a game-time decision). On the latest report, Ohio State lists Julian Sayin, Ja'Kobi Jackson, Brandon Inniss and 5 others as out or doubtful. Oregon lists Jordon Davison, Dante Moore, Messiah Hampton and 6 others as out or doubtful, and Jeremiah McClellan as a game-time decision.

Oregon's Jordon Davison, who leads the Ducks in rushing yards with 439 and has 7 touchdowns, is listed Out, new on this week's report. Lanning said Oct. 31 after the Northwestern game that Davison had a leg injury and that he did not know where it stood yet, according to On3. Lanning also said that day that Dakorien Moore took a big shot on a return and was in pain but seemed like he was going to be good, according to On3.

Lanning said Oct. 26 that quarterback Dante Moore will miss the rest of 2026 after his concussion at USC and has not been medically cleared, according to Bleacher Report. Lanning said Oct. 28 that defensive lineman Matthew Johnson is having surgery and that offensive lineman Dave Iuli had surgery after playing through the injury, according to Sports Illustrated, and both are listed Out. Defensive back Aaron Flowers, who started Oregon's first four games, had shoulder surgery and is out for the "foreseeable future," Lanning said Oct. 14, according to Yahoo Sports.

Oregon tight end Andrew Olesh is also listed Out, new this week, along with receiver Messiah Hampton, linebacker Brayden Platt and offensive lineman Trent Ferguson. Oregon receiver Jeremiah McClellan is listed Probable.

Ohio State lists Sayin Out, along with Ja'Kobi Jackson, second on the Buckeyes in rushing yards with 354 and 6 touchdowns. Ohio State offensive lineman Jaxon Powell and tight end Maxence LeBlanc are listed Out, and receivers Brandon Inniss and Brock Boyd, linebacker Eli Lee and offensive lineman Ian Moore, new this week, are Questionable. Day said Nov. 4 that cornerback Jay Timmons had two good days of practice and that Ohio State would see how the next 48 hours went, according to Yahoo Sports.

Ohio State has owned the series and Ohio Stadium

Ohio State leads the series 10-2 since the first meeting, a bowl game on Jan. 1, 1958. The Buckeyes' 1958 team, from the year that series began, had All-American back Bob White.

Ohio State is 5-1 at home against Oregon, and the Ducks last won in Columbus in 2021. That Oregon team went 10-4, with unanimous All-American defensive lineman Kayvon Thibodeaux and All-American defensive back Verone McKinley III, while Ohio State finished 11-2.

Ohio State won the last meeting 41-21 at a neutral site in 2024, and Jeremiah Smith had 187 receiving yards. Those 2024 Buckeyes went 14-2, with Rimington Award winner and All-American center Seth McLaughlin and unanimous All-American defensive back Caleb Downs, and Oregon finished 13-1.

Three things to watch

Ohio State's passing game without Sayin: the Buckeyes carry a 38-game streak with a touchdown pass into Saturday.

Teitum Tuioti's pass rush: he leads Oregon with 5.5 sacks, third in the Big Ten, and has two games with two or more sacks, tied for the third-most in FBS.

Oregon's discipline and coverage teams: against Power 4 opponents the Ducks are penalized 39 yards a game, ninth nationally, against 55 for Ohio State, and they rank first in punt coverage at -1.3 yards a return on 6 returns and fifth in kick coverage at 13.5 yards on 8 returns.