The No. 12 Ohio State Buckeyes got out to a 14-0 start on Saturday at home against the No. 23 Oregon Ducks.
However, after such a fast start for the Buckeyes, the tides turned quickly, and Oregon rattled off 38 unanswered points before ultimately securing a 41-28 victory. The loss handed Ohio State its second consecutive defeat and third of the season.
Freshman quarterback Luke Fahey is now 0-2 as the starter. He completed 36-of-50 passes for 360 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, with many of those yards coming late in garbage time.
Urban Meyer Questions Ryan Day’s Decision
Speaking on the latest episode of “The Triple Option” podcast, legendary college football coach Urban Meyer, who coached Ohio State for seven seasons, questioned Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day’s decision to keep Fahey in the game late rather than give former five-star prospect Tavien St. Clair a chance. St. Clair has yet to see the field.
“I thought [Luke Fahey] played ok against USC. There were some misfires and just looked a little out of place against Oregon,” Meyer said. “I am interested as to why they did not [make a QB change]… Quarterback is the one position that there is only one thing that matters and that’s to get as much playing time as possible. I mean the rest of the season you’re riding Luke because you did not get this guy reps when you probably could’ve.”
Urban Meyer isn’t sure why Tavien St. Clair didn’t get playing time against Oregon
Watch tonight’s episode at https://t.co/KRVNZcaYPP https://t.co/H3QDKClokV
— The Triple Option (@3xOptionShow) November 9, 2026
Looking at Ohio State
The Buckeyes are likely to see a hefty fall in Tuesday night’s College Football Playoff rankings, and any hope they have of making the field is very slim at this point.
Ohio State has three games remaining against Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan. The Buckeyes still have a mathematical chance to reach the Big Ten Championship, which would likely be their only path to building a strong enough resume to earn a CFP bid.
To reach the Big Ten title game, Ohio State would need to win out, giving the Buckeyes a 7-2 conference record. They would also need Indiana, USC and Oregon to each lose at least one of their final three games. At least one of those matchups is already on the schedule this week, as Indiana and USC face each other.
Urban Meyer Questions Ryan Day’s Decision During Ohio State’s Loss to Oregon