The Ohio State Buckeyes were a play away from defeating the Georgia Bulldogs in the first round of the playoffs.
As good as Georgia looked against TCU in the Championship Game, Ohio State should have beaten them a week earlier. Now Ohio State will look to bounce back in 2023 without star quarterback C.J. Stroud and other players who move on to the NFL.
The Ohio State Buckeye's 2023 Football Schedule
Here's what Ohio State's 2023 football schedule looks like.
Home games are in bold.
- September 2 at Indiana
- September 9 vs. Youngstown State
- September 16 vs. Western Kentucky
- September 23 at Notre Dame
- October 7 vs. Maryland
- October 14 at Purdue
- October 21 vs. Penn State
- October 28 at Wisconsin
- November 4 at Rutgers
- November 11 vs. Michigan State
- November 18 vs. Minnesota
- November 25 at Michigan
Games to Circle
September 23 at Notre Dame
Notre Dame had a rough start to the 2022 season, losing their first two games to Ohio State and Marshall. The Fighting Irish played much better over the rest of the season - going 9-2 in their remaining games, including their bowl game against South Carolina. Notre Dame will have to be better in 2023 to beat Ohio State, but this game will be the Buckeyes' first real test of the season - and it's on the road at a difficult place to play.
October 21 vs. Penn State
Penn State went 11-2 in 2022. Their two losses were against Michigan (41-17) and Ohio State (44-31). They demolished practically everyone else they played. Ohio State should be favored to win this game, especially since they get Penn State at home. But this will be one to watch - Penn State always gives the Buckeyes a good game, and if the Buckeyes don't play well, they could drop this game at home.
November 25 at Michigan
Ohio State has now lost two games in a row to Michigan. They end their season once again going against the Wolverines. After the Buckeyes' embarrassing 45-23 loss at home to Michigan in 2022, they will seek revenge. If Ohio State wants to beat Michigan, they will have to improve in the trenches along the offensive and defensive lines. Will Ohio State end Michigan's streak, or will the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes for the third straight season?
Could health and fatigue become a problem?
Ohio State has an extremely early bye week in 2023. Their bye week falls on September 30 after they've played only four games. This means the Buckeyes have to play eight straight weeks against conference opponents and Power Five teams. That's a brutal stretch for any football team.
Managing the team's health will be critical for Ryan Day and his staff in 2023.
Can Ohio State achieve its goals in 2023?
Ohio State's season goals are simple on paper: win the National Championship. Accomplishing that is no easy task.
There's no question Ohio State had a good enough team to win it all in 2022 but fell short. Can they return to the playoffs again in 2023? Will they experience some growing pains with a new quarterback and new faces on the offense and defense? Time will tell.
The Buckeyes will have an excellent team in 2023. But will it be enough to reach their goal of a title?
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