The roster isn’t completely set as we wait for NFL decisions and departures and additions from the transfer portal. With the college football season over, however, we have a decent idea of what the Ohio State roster will look like.
Since the page turns pretty quickly once the season is over, we’ve been taking a look at next year for what we might see with next year’s Buckeye team. We’ve already looked at some narratives for each game on the 2023 schedule, and now we’re peering into the crystal ball and manipulating the magic eight ball to predict each game for next season.
Yeah, we know, it’s way-too-early to get an absolute feel for just how good this Ohio State team is going to be next fall, but we get paid to do these sorts of things, so we’re up to the challenge.
Here is a very, very early prediction for every single game on the 2023 Ohio State football schedule.
Saturday, Sept. 2, at Indiana Hoosiers
The Prediction
Though Ohio State will most likely be breaking in a new quarterback and you never know what to expect in Week 1, the Buckeyes should have no problem handling an Indiana program that has slid into the abyss.
Predicted Score | Ohio State 45, Indiana 17
Saturday, Sept. 9, vs. Youngstown State Penguins
The Prediction
Let’s call this what it is — a nonconference, in-state opponent that is getting paid to fill out the schedule. Ohio State should be all over the Football Championship Subdivision opponent and be able to get plenty of guys experience in this one.
Predicted Score | Ohio State 58, Youngstown State 10
Saturday, Sept. 16, vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
The Prediction
The Buckeyes get one more tuneup before heading to South Bend. Though it might be a sneaky setup, we like Ohio State to keep rolling against the Hilltoppers because of the gap in talent.
Predicted Score | Ohio State 42, Western Kentucky 20
Saturday, Sept. 23, at Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Prediction
The competition level goes up significantly after some pretty easy matchups to start the year. Ohio State will get everything it can handle from a Notre Dame team that should be better than last season. It will not be easy going on the road, and transfer quarterback Sam Hartman could be a problem. However, OSU pulls the game out with its passing game.
Predicted Score | Ohio State 31, Notre Dame 27
Saturday, Sept. 30, vs. Maryland Terrapins
The Prediction
It looks like Maryland will have Taulia Tagovailoa back at quarterback, so that’ll make this an intriguing matchup, but we’ve already seen that Maryland has a really hard time winning on the road in the Big Ten. Ohio State simply has more depth and talent on the roster.
Predicted Score | Ohio State 45, Maryland 27
Saturday, Oct. 14, at Purdue Boilermakers
The Prediction
Purdue has caused problems for Ohio State in the recent past, especially in West Lafayette, but there’s too much transition and turnover to expect the same in 2023. Expect a good effort from the Boilers, but not enough to pull off an upset.
Predicted Score | Ohio State 37, Purdue 24
Saturday, Oct. 21, vs. Penn State Nittany Lions
The Prediction
Penn State could be a problem in the Big Ten next season. It is a young team that returns many key pieces and might be right there with Ohio State and Michigan in the East. A physical, emotional game goes the Buckeyes’ way at home.
Predicted Score | Ohio State 34, Penn State 31
Saturday, Oct. 28, at Wisconsin Badgers
The Prediction
After a physical game against Penn State, Ohio State has to go on the road to play another Donnybrook against Wisconsin. The Buckeyes will have to leave everything on the field, but might be tired and banged up after the game against the Nittany Lions. Wisconsin rides the crowd and emotion to a victory at Camp Randall.
Predicted Score | Wisconsin 30, Ohio State 27
Saturday, Nov. 4, at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
The Prediction
A reeling Ohio State team goes to Piscataway and looks to make a statement. Everything clicks again and the Buckeyes stay in the hunt for the Big Ten title.
Predicted Score | Ohio State 45, Rutgers 20
Saturday, Nov. 11, vs. Michigan State Spartans
The Prediction
We’ve seen this before. The Michigan State coaching staff hasn’t been able to find answers for the OSU offense, and that’ll continue in a game at home in the ‘Shoe.
Predicted Score | Ohio State 52, Michigan State 27
Saturday, Nov. 18, vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers
The Prediction
It’s been a while since these two matched up, and it’s not good timing for a Minnesota team that has to replace several key players, including quarterback Tanner Morgan and running back Ibrahim Mohamed. Ohio State wins another at home.
Predicted Score | Ohio State 35, Minnesota 21
Saturday, Nov. 25, at Michigan Wolverines
The Prediction
The Michigan faithful is feeling awfully confident these days, especially with the returning talent the Wolverines will have in 2023. However, Ohio State still has more skill on the roster than Michigan and will put everything into beating their arch-rival and tipping the balance of the Big Ten back to where it belongs.
Predicted Score | Ohio State 45, Michigan 38
Prediction Summary
Schedule and Predicted Results
| Date | Opponent | Prediction | Record |
| 9/02 | at Indiana | Win, 45-17 | 1-0 |
| 9/09 | vs. Youngstown State | Win, 57-10 | 2-0 |
| 9/16 | vs. Western Kentucky | Win, 42-20 | 3-0 |
| 9/23 | at Notre Dame | Win, 31-27 | 4-0 |
| 9/30 | vs. Maryland | Win, 45-27 | 5-0 |
| 10/14 | at Purdue | Win, 37-24 | 6-0 |
| 10/21 | vs. Penn State | Win, 34-31 | 7-0 |
| 10/28 | at Wisconsin | Loss, 27, 30 | 7-1 |
| 11/4 | at Rutgers | Win, 45-20 | 8-1 |
| 11/11 | vs. Michigan State | Win, 52-27 | 9-1 |
| 11/18 | vs. Minnesota | Win, 35-21 | 10-1 |
| 11/25 | at Michigan | Win, 37-34 | 11-1 |
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