UCLA is set to enter its third season in the Big Ten, following a sophomore campaign in which the program captured three NCAA championships – the most of any Big Ten school. The conference as a whole earned 10 different national titles in the most recent cycle. Daily Bruin Sports has broken down the top programs of UCLA’s Big Ten rivals.
Football
2025 record: 12-2, 9-0 Big Ten, CFP Quarterfinals appearance
Coach: Ryan Day
Player to Watch: Julian Sayin
For a team with national championship expectations just about every season, a loss in its first game of the College Football Playoff seems like a disappointing finish.
But given that the Buckeyes’ only defeats in 2025 – after a 12-0 start – came to the two squads who would eventually battle it out in the title game, the season may not have been a total failure.
Redshirting in 2024 after appearing in just four games, quarterback Julian Sayin proved exactly why he deserved the starting job. Sayin tallied 301 completions and 32 touchdowns last season, raking in 3,610 total yards. His 77% completion rate led the nation – the third-highest single-season tally in FBS history and the highest in Big Ten history.
The Carlsbad, California, local was able to control the pace of games to his liking, with Ohio State playing at a relatively slower tempo compared to other teams. But that may have been a double-edged sword, as a patient offensive approach led to just 24 total points in the final two games of the year. Still, Sayin finished fourth in Heisman voting and has the chance to compete for the trophy again with plenty of weapons at his disposal.
Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is entering his last season in Columbus after garnering 87 receptions and 1,243 yards in 2025 – both conference highs – for 12 touchdowns. Finishing just two spots below Sayin in Heisman voting, Smith will be joined by Chris Henry Jr., the No. 2 receiver in the 2026 recruiting class. The two will make up for the departure of receiver Carnell Tate, who was selected fourth overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Tate was one of 11 Buckeyes taken in the draft, including four first-rounders. With the hiring of former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith as the program’s new offensive coordinator, as well as transfer portal reinforcements, coach Ryan Day’s squad will be full of new faces next season.
The transfer class includes tight ends Hunter Welcing from Northwestern and Mason Williams from Ohio. The team will also welcome eight defensive transfers, including end Qua Russaw and tackle James Smith from Alabama, as well as safety Terry Moore from Duke.
But the Buckeyes have the second-hardest strength of schedule in the nation next year. With strong opponents ahead and a heavily restructured defense, the return to college football glory will be no small feat.
Men’s basketball
2025-26 record: 21-13, 12-8 Big Ten, NCAA Tournament First Round appearance
Coach: Jake Diebler
Player to Watch: John Mobley Jr.
March Madness delivers unforgettable finishes each year, and Ohio State’s first-round matchup against TCU last season was no exception.
Entering the tournament as a No. 8 seed, the Buckeyes posted just a 24-point first half and were down by 15 at the break. But a second-half rally, led by all starters reaching double-digit points, brought Ohio State within three points with less than a minute to go.
Then, a heavily contested three-pointer by point guard Bruce Thornton – the Buckeyes’ leading scorer last season – tied the game. With just 4.1 seconds remaining on the clock, forward Xavier Edmonds’ layup put TCU up by two, and Thornton’s last-second half-court heave could not save the Buckeyes’ season.
Thornton averaged 19.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists in the 2025-26 season. He finished his four-year career in Columbus as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,164 points, earning three All-Big Ten selections and being one of just two players ever in the conference to tally 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists.
Being selected No. 31 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets, Ohio State’s main priority next season will be making up for the departure of a long-time program cornerstone.
Outside Thornton, the Buckeyes lost eight players between the transfer portal and exhausted eligibility, including forward Devin Royal, who averaged 13.7 points per game last year, to Villanova.
Likely stepping up as the first option next year is guard John Mobley Jr. He averaged 15.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists last season, placing third in the conference in three-point percentage. After withdrawing from the 2026 NBA Draft to return to Columbus, Mobley Jr. will take on a more prominent role as the squad’s floor general.
Coach Jake Diebler has further fortified his roster by securing transfer guards Justin Pippen from California and Jimmie Williams from Duquesne. In addition, the Buckeyes will welcome two consensus five-star prospects in Anthony Thompson and LJ Smith, with the latter reclassifying from the 2027 class to the 2026 class.
Ohio State has hovered around the bottom of the conference for the past several seasons, but a solid roster reset could help the Buckeyes make a breakthrough in the coming campaign.
Women’s basketball
2025-26 record: 27-8, 13-5 Big Ten, NCAA Tournament Second Round appearance
Coach: Kevin McGuff
Player to Watch: Jaloni Cambridge
Despite one impressive season after the next, the Buckeyes simply can’t get the job done when it matters most.
After finishing as a top-five team in the Big Ten for the past four seasons, the squad has consistently run into postseason roadblocks, losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament for three consecutive years.
A contributing factor to last year’s early-tournament exit was the inexperience of coach Kevin McGuff’s roster. Of the 11 players on the 2025-26 roster, eight were underclassmen. Luckily, much of the team will look the same next season, allowing for more cohesion to develop as the Buckeyes gain experience.
Guards Chance Gray and T’yana Todd will be departing after exhausting their eligibility. Gray was the squad’s second-leading scorer last season, averaging 14.7 points along with 2.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists. While Todd played a more limited role, she tallied a season-high 16 points against UCLA, including four three-pointers, Dec. 28.
Posting a conference-high 23.2 points per game last season, guard Jaloni Cambridge will be returning to Columbus for her junior season. In the Buckeyes’ second-round loss to Notre Dame, she excelled with 41 points on 13-for-25 shooting, including an efficient 5-for-8 from beyond the arc.
Several players are also projected to be strong second options to Cambridge. Guard/forward Kylee Kitts averaged 7.4 points and 5.6 rebounds as a redshirt freshman last season, while sophomore guard Ava Watson averaged 7.2 points per game across all 35 games.
However, the Buckeyes will have to tighten up defensively to prevent scoring runs similar to those Notre Dame went on during their NCAA matchup. Returning down low is center Elsa Lemmilä, who led the Big Ten with 2.3 blocks per game last season.
A steady presence in the paint combined with versatile guards will help the squad remain consistent on both ends of the floor next season, potentially putting an end to their repeated second-round struggles.
Men’s tennis
2025-26 record: 32-5, 12-1 Big Ten, NCAA Quarterfinals appearance
Coach: Ty Tucker
Players to Watch: Brandon Carpico and Nikita Filin
Every year since 2000, the Buckeyes have held a spot in the bracket at the NCAA Team Championships.
Under coach Ty Tucker, who assumed his position in 1999, the squad has reached the final match three times and the semifinals five times. Since 2004, the Buckeyes have made the quarterfinal round on 19 occasions. Yet, similarly to women’s basketball, none of these trips have resulted in a national championship.
The 2025-26 campaign become one of those quarterfinal finishes after Ohio State fell 4-3 to TCU. The team duel was tied at three apiece until a three-set comeback singles win by Duncan Chan helped the Horned Frogs secure the victory over the Buckeyes. This marked the third time in the past six years that TCU took an NCAA tournament matchup between the two squads.
Broadly speaking, though, the Big Ten has run through Columbus in recent history. Capturing 20 consecutive regular-season conference titles, the Buckeyes will look to extend their dominance next season and secure their first national championship.
The most notable pair returning next season is Brandon Carpico and Nikita Filin. The duo posted an overall record of 37-6 last year, going 7-1 in Big Ten play. While finishing as the runners-up in the 2025 NCAA Doubles Championship, the two most recently added to their accolades by clinching a spot in the US Open main draw later this summer.
Entering his senior season is Aidan Kim, who posted an overall singles record of 17-12 last season and an overall doubles record of 28-7 while paired with Bryce Nakashima. Kim sat at No. 5 in the preseason singles rankings before the 2025-26 season, and was named to the All-Big Ten First Team the past two years.
There is no shortage of talent on this Buckeyes roster, and 2027 is yet another opportunity for them to bring a title to Columbus.
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