Ohio State football enters the 2024 season favored to win the Big Ten Conference. With an overhaul of leadership at Michigan, the Buckeyes find themselves in prime position to make the College Football Playoff. That's what Buckeyes fans expect from Coach Ryan Day and company this year. Here are some last-minute predictions for Ohio State football, as the team starts their 2024 journey.

Ohio State football quarterback Will Howard will have a 3,000 yard passing season

Will Howard is the new gunslinger in town for the Ohio State football program. Howard transferred into the program from Kansas State. While Howard didn't set the world on fire at Kansas State, he did win the Big 12 conference championship game in 2022 over TCU.

Howard had a great year in 2023, finishing the season with 2,643 passing yards, a career-high season. He threw 24 touchdowns and had 10 interceptions for the Wildcats. Howard will do even better with his stats in 2024.

The reason why is Ohio State football has some great weapons for Howard. The Buckeyes return wideout Emeka Egbuka, who had a 1,000 yard receiving season in 2022. The team also has some talented freshmen in the wide receiver room, including Jeremiah Smith. Smith enters the fold and is named a starter in Week 1 for the squad. With these weapons, the Buckeyes gunslinger should have another career high season.

“With the guys that we have here, I mean they make plays like I’ve never seen anyone make plays before,” Howard said, per On3.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day will win conference coach of the year

Ohio State football coach Ryan Day speaks with the media August 27, 2024 in the team meeting room.
© Doral Chenoweth/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ryan Day is leading the Buckeyes for the sixth season. He has an excellent record, with 56 wins to just eight losses. Day doesn't have a national championship, however, which Ohio State football fans expect every year.

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For the last three seasons, Ohio State has lost to Michigan, their bitter rival. That loss has kept the team from making the College Football Playoff. This year, it is Day's time to show that he can be a championship coach. A not-so-bold prediction is that Ohio State will win the Big Ten this season, and give Day a Conference Coach of the Year trophy.

In order for Day to get that trophy, he will have to defeat one specific team. That leads to the final prediction for Ohio State this upcoming season.

Ohio State will defeat Michigan this season

The Buckeyes and Wolverines meet this season in late November, in Columbus. It is a very important game, and one that comes with heavy implications into who will make the CFP from the Big Ten this year.

The winner of that contest will be Ohio State. The Buckeyes will finally get the monkey off their backs, due to the amount of talent they have on the roster. The game is at home, which helps give Ohio State the edge. The Wolverines are also a team undergoing a lot of change, as Sherrone Moore now leads the program. Moore takes over from Jim Harbaugh, who left for the NFL after winning the national championship in 2023. Michigan football is also under a NCAA probe, due to a sign-stealing scandal that affected the school.

All those distractions this season for Michigan will lead to an Ohio State victory at the end of the season. It will be the crowning achievement this regular season for an Ohio State team ready for a run in the CFP.

Ohio State football starts their season on Saturday against Akron. The game kicks off at 3:30 Eastern.