With Big Ten Media Days just six days away and Ohio State’s training camp set to open in two weeks, the Buckeyes’ offseason storylines are starting to pile up fast. In the span of one morning, three completely different threads converged: a national title analytics deep dive from one of college football’s most respected numbers people, a pointed cultural jab at the rival program up north, and a nostalgic, wide-ranging conversation between two of Ohio State’s most respected coaching figures.
Here’s a full breakdown of what’s being talked about in Columbus today — and why each storyline matters heading into the 2026 season.
Bill Connelly’s Three “What-Ifs” for an Ohio State Championship
ESPN’s Bill Connelly already has Ohio State pegged as the No. 1 team in the country in his SP+ rankings and views the Buckeyes as the favorite to win the Big Ten. But in a piece identifying “what-if” scenarios for 21 different national title contenders, Connelly zeroed in on three specific questions that could determine whether Ohio State actually finishes the job this season.
The first centers on the defense. Ohio State fielded the best unit in the country by SP+ a season ago under coordinator Matt Patricia, but that group is now without four top-40 NFL Draft picks and seven picks overall, including the majority of its starting defensive line and secondary. Day responded aggressively in the transfer portal, bringing in a pair of new ends, tackles, corners and safeties — but Connelly’s question is straightforward: can at least one newcomer at each position group emerge as a true difference-maker?
The second what-if revolves around the passing game. Jeremiah Smith returns as arguably the most talented receiver in the country, but the two players who served as Julian Sayin’s next-most-targeted options a year ago are both gone, taken early in the draft. That leaves a mix of veteran depth and blue-chip underclassmen who will need to step into far bigger roles to keep the passing attack from being a one-man operation.
The third centers on tempo. Connelly points out that Ohio State ran one of the slowest, most deliberate offenses in the country last season, and that measured approach didn’t translate well when the Buckeyes needed to rally from a deficit in their College Football Playoff quarterfinal loss to Miami. With new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith now calling plays, and difficult games against Oregon, Indiana and Texas on the docket, the ability to speed things up in close, late-game moments could be the difference in a deep playoff run.
Notably, all three of these questions have been central to Ohio State’s roster-building and coaching decisions all offseason — suggesting the program itself sees the same red flags Connelly does, and has spent months trying to address them head-on.
Beanie Wells Says the “Michigan Man” Label Has Lost All Its Meaning
While Connelly’s piece focused on the Xs and Os, former Ohio State running back Beanie Wells took a much different — and far more pointed — approach on a recent episode of “The Script” podcast alongside Cardale Jones and Dave Holmes. The trio dug into the fallout from Michigan’s ongoing sign-stealing saga, and Wells didn’t hold back on what the phrase “Michigan Man” means to him now.
According to Wells, a phrase that once carried real weight and commanded respect across college football has been completely hollowed out by the scandal, arguing that no one wants to be associated with it anymore given the cheating and dishonesty now attached to it.
Wells didn’t stop there. He went a step further and predicted that Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel wouldn’t hold onto his job much longer, capping the segment with a blunt: “Mr. President, your ass is about to get impeached.” The prediction proved eerily accurate — just five days after the episode aired, Michigan officially announced that Manuel would be stepping down as athletic director at the end of 2026.
Thad Matta Joins Jim Tressel’s Podcast for a Deep, Reflective Conversation
The most heartwarming storyline of the day, though, came from a very different kind of setting: the latest episode of Jim Tressel’s “It’s All About the Team” podcast, which featured former Ohio State basketball coach Thad Matta as a guest for a wide-ranging, 72-minute conversation.
The two coaching legends touched on everything from the state of modern college athletics to the idea of a potential “Super League,” but some of the most memorable moments were much more personal. Matta shared the story of the exact moment he realized his future in basketball was as a coach rather than a player — a humbling early practice at Butler University guarding a young NBA rookie that made the decision immediately clear.
He and Tressel also spent significant time discussing leadership philosophy: the importance of truly knowing your players, reading the moment during a game to decide whether to calm a team down or push them harder, and the value of learning directly from the athletes a coach is trying to lead rather than simply dictating from experience. Tressel emphasized that sports ultimately prepare people for life far beyond the field or court, while Matta reflected on what separates truly great strength and conditioning coaches — the ones players resent in the moment but appreciate by the end.
Perhaps the most nostalgic stretch of the conversation came when Matta looked back on his very first season at Ohio State, a year complicated by a postseason ban that, in his telling, ironically freed him up to coach without pressure and set the tone for everything that followed. He recounted the program’s win over an undefeated Illinois team that season — sealed by a clutch three-pointer with just over 12 seconds remaining — as the moment that helped launch Ohio State basketball’s rise, eventually paving the way for stars like Greg Oden and Mike Conley to choose the program a year later.
Final Thoughts
Three very different storylines, one common thread: Ohio State’s program, on and off the field, remains squarely at the center of the college sports conversation heading into 2026. Connelly’s what-ifs offer a data-driven look at exactly what stands between the Buckeyes and a championship. Beanie Wells’ comments capture just how far Michigan’s reputation has fallen in the eyes of rival fans and former players. And the Matta-Tressel conversation serves as a reminder of the coaching depth and institutional wisdom that continues to shape Ohio State’s culture, even from men no longer directly on staff.
With Big Ten Media Days and the start of training camp both bearing down fast, expect storylines like these to keep piling up as Buckeye Nation counts down to kickoff.
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