2026 MAC Football Week 1 Game Preview: Ball State Cardinals at Ohio State Buckeyes

Ball State is entering their second season under head coach Mike Uremovich with hopes to turn things around this season. Now that they've had a season for the coaching staff to establish their culture, it's time to focus on being more competitive in the MAC.

For the first time ever, the Ball State Cardinals will face the Ohio State Buckeyes; a battle between two programs that couldn't be more opposite.

Ball State has only appeared in nine bowl games in their program history dated back to 1975, meanwhile Ohio State has won nine national titles.

After a 4-8 record last season, Ball State comes into this season with almost an entire new team. Ohio State went 12-2 and lost to the national champion runner-up Miami Hurricanes – they return two Heisman candidates from last season.

It's looking like a big test is ahead for the boys from Muncie.

Game Notes

• Date and Time: Saturday, Sept. 5th, 2026 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time
• Location: The Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio
• Network: Big Ten Network
• Streaming options: The game will be available via the Fox Sports App. A valid subscription is required for viewing. Other applicable cable/satellite streaming services are also available with a valid subscription. Other streaming carriers include Sling, DirecTV Stream, fuboTV, Hulu Live TV, or YouTube TV.
• Ball State radio: Mick Tidrow (play-by-play) and Chris Radican (color) will provide the Ball State call for WMUN-AM 1340.
• Ohio State radio: Paul Keels (play-by-play) and Jim Lachey (color) will provide the Ohio State call for The Ohio State Sports Network.
• Gambling Considerations: Ohio State is a massive 50.5-point favorite over Ball State.
• All-Time Series: First-ever meeting between the two programs.

Ohio State outlook

On Senior Day, it will be interesting to see how Arthur Smith's offense will look in its first game as offensive coordinator. The Buckeyes come into the season with two likely candidates for the Heisman Trophy with quarterback Julian Sayin (3,600 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions) and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (1,200 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns). They'll likely be looking to get this duo working early and often and run up those numbers on offense against a Ball State defense that struggled last season.

With Sayin, Smith, freshman Chris Henry Jr. and Bo Jackson, the Buckeyes have a plethora of playmakers on offense that should score a lot of points for the Buckeyes. They'll likely start the game trying to establish their 1,000-yard running game with Jackson.

On defense, Matt Patricia will look to have his defense prepared for incoming transfer and redshirt junior quarterback Keldric Luster, who was just named the Cardinals' starter last week. Can Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and company provide enough pressure early to force the new QB into mistakes early. Last season, he finished with 6.5 sacks and now that he is the senior leader he looks to elevate those numbers this year.

Ball State Outlook

For the Cardinals, it'll be all about trying to stop Ohio State's flow early on defense.

To do so, linebacker Justin Thomas, EDGE Jared Badie, and nose tackle Kendrick Gilbert will all have to create as much pressure in the backfield as possible to frustrate Jackson and Sayin early. The Cardinals also bring in Ohio State transfer and fifth-year defensive back Diante' Griffin, who should be the top cover corner and will likely be matched-up with Smith out wide.

Their offense is essentially all new, so it will be intriguing to see how Luster runs the offense after being named the starter over Mizzell. It'll be imperative for offensive coordinator Craig Harmon to get running TJ Horton (60 carries, 180 yards in 2025) and top wideout Jabari Smith Jr. (15 receptions, 166 yards, and 3 TD's in 2025) involved early to help the offense settle in. Horton returns with the most experience at running back and looks to utilize his speed as RB1 for the Cardinals this season.

With so many players that remain unproven, Week 1 will be a trial week for a lot of players to see what they can do. Another player to watch will be wide receiver Donovan Hamilton to have a big game on offense as well. As a big six-foot-four target for Luster, the transfer could see a lot of passes come his way as well in Week 1.

Game Outlook 

Ohio State is a heavy favorite and righfully so. They're loaded with talent and come into this season with high expectations. Perhaps playing one of the toughest teams in the country will help Ball State feel less intimidated and more confident for the rest of the season.

Either way, the Cardinals will have a tough time slowing down the Buckeye's dynamic offense filled with playmakers. Nonetheless, we approach Year 2 under Uremovich in Muncie will tons of optimism and a ton of new players.

Score Prediction: Ohio State 45, Ball State 7