Wk 1 · 2026
Ball State Cardinals at Ohio State Buckeyes — Sat, Sep 5
Sat, Sep 5 ·
Ohio Stadium, Columbus
· BTN
MAC · no games yet
at
12:30pET
OSU -50.5 · total 56.5 DraftKings
Big Ten · no games yet
What is at stake
A non-conference game. It moves both overall records but neither conference race. Ohio State is ranked #1 (AP Top 25 ยท 2026-08-17).
Efficiency · 2025 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2025 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row; the
brighter side is the better of the two, and a longer bar is always the better number
— including the rows where a lower figure is the good one.
Team stats · 2025 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2025 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
Ball State form
L 24-45at M-OHL 9-38at TOLL 9-24vs EMUW 17-13vs KENTL 7-21at NIU
2025 season
Ohio State form
L 10-13vs IUW 27-9at MICHW 42-9vs RUTGW 48-10vs UCLAW 34-10at PUR
2025 season
Ball State this season
No graded games yet this season. Lines are captured before kickoff and graded when a game goes final, so these records start at Week 1.
Ohio State this season
No graded games yet this season. Lines are captured before kickoff and graded when a game goes final, so these records start at Week 1.
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked when the game goes final. There is no line archive before this season, so these records begin with 2026 Week 1.
Common opponents · 2
| Opponent | Ball State | Ohio State |
|---|---|---|
| Kent State MAC | at Wk 4 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 3 · scheduled preview |
| Northwestern Big Ten | at Wk 6 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 11 · scheduled preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
These teams have not met in the 2006–2026 window.
Ball State leaders 2025 season
| Passing | Kiael Kelly QB #1 | 154/273, 1583 YDS, 11 TD, 8 INT |
| Ty Robinson WR #10 | 2/3, 77 YDS | |
| Rushing | Kiael Kelly QB #1 | 211 CAR, 600 YDS, 5 TD |
| Qua Ashley RB #9 | 118 CAR, 547 YDS, 4 TD | |
| TJ Horton RB #4 | 60 CAR, 180 YDS | |
| Receiving | Qian Magwood WR #5 | 19 REC, 320 YDS, 1 TD |
| Donovan Hamilton WR #1 | 20 REC, 244 YDS | |
| Eric Weatherly WR #3 | 29 REC, 238 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Koby Gross TE #6 | 10 REC, 141 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Alfred Chea LB #0 | 59 |
| Joey Stemler LB #21 | 54 | |
| Michael Gravely Jr. DB #2 | 53 | |
| Sacks | Nathan Voorhis EDGE #44 | 12 |
| DeJuan Echoles Jr. DE #31 | 3 | |
| Drew Hughes DT #47 | 2 | |
| Interceptions | Joedrick Lewis DB #1 | 3 |
| Eric McClain CB #9 | 2 | |
| Muheem McCargo DB #16 | 1 |
Ohio State leaders 2025 season
| Passing | Julian Sayin QB #10 | 279/356, 3323 YDS, 31 TD, 6 INT |
| Lincoln Kienholz QB #3 | 11/14, 139 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Rushing | Bo Jackson RB #25 | 168 CAR, 1035 YDS, 5 TD |
| James Peoples RB #1 | 61 CAR, 344 YDS, 3 TD | |
| CJ Donaldson RB #12 | 89 CAR, 330 YDS, 10 TD | |
| Receiving | Jeremiah Smith WR #4 | 80 REC, 1086 YDS, 11 TD |
| Carnell Tate WR #17 | 48 REC, 838 YDS, 9 TD | |
| Max Klare TE #86 | 43 REC, 448 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Brandon Inniss WR #1 | 32 REC, 237 YDS, 3 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Sonny Styles LB #0 | 81 |
| Arvell Reese LB #8 | 62 | |
| Caden Curry EDGE #92 | 60 | |
| Sacks | Caden Curry EDGE #92 | 11 |
| Arvell Reese LB #8 | 6.5 | |
| Kenyatta Jackson Jr. DE #2 | 6.5 | |
| Interceptions | Davison Igbinosun CB #1 | 2 |
| Caleb Downs S #2 | 2 | |
| Jermaine Mathews Jr. CB #7 | 2 |
Player production is per game from the
2025 season, for players on the current roster.