Ohio
Riding 15-game road losing streak, history is at stake as Ohio State men travel to Wisconsin
Yes, Ohio State is 2-8 in its last 10 games. Yes, the Buckeyes are 4-9 in the Big Ten. And yes, this team is almost certainly missing post-season play (of any kind) for the second consecutive season — it’s been that bad lately.
But don’t you dare try to tell me nothing is at stake as the Buckeyes (14-10, 4-9) travel to Madison Tuesday night to take on a reeling Wisconsin team. The Badgers (16-8, 8-5) have lost their last four games, including a 22-point drubbing at the hands of 11th-place Rutgers this weekend.
However, Wisconsin is still No. 18 in KenPom, No. 21 in the NET, and are 11-2 at home this season. That’s all to say that this Wisconsin team is still very talented, deep, and dangerous. Beating the Badgers within the not-so-friendly confines of the Kohl Center will not be easy.
History is at stake Tuesday night in Madison, as Ohio State would tie the program record for longest road losing streak if it doesn’t walk out of the Kohl Center victorious. A loss Tuesday night would make it 16 in a row, dating back to Jan. 1, 2023, when the Buckeyes knocked off Northwestern in Evanston for its most recent road win.
Winning on the road is hard — always has been, always will be. That’s why the NCAA values road wins more than it values home wins when evaluating for the NCAA Tournament, and that is why teams celebrate road wins so heavily, especially ones that happen in conference play.
Big Ten teams have a combined record of 31-74 this year playing on the road, winning 29.5% of the time. However, at 0-6, Ohio State is the only Big Ten team that has yet to win a road game. Michigan State and Nebraska have each won on the road once, and the other 11 B1G squads have all won at least two road games — even Michigan!
During the 1996-1997 season — the final season under Randy Ayers — Ohio State lost its final eight road games. Then Jim O’Brien took over, and the Buckeyes lost their first eight road games of the 1997-1998 season as well. From 1996-1998, Ohio State had a combined record of 18-39 (6-28 in Big Ten play) and missed the NCAA Tournament both years.
Ohio State is 30-29 over the past two seasons (so far), with a 9-24 record in Big Ten play. The two most recent Buckeye teams have been better than the 1996-1998 teams overall, but have been concerningly similar to those awful teams in Big Ten play.
The typical rule of thumb is to win most of your home games, try to win half of your road games, and you should be in a pretty good place come March. This team is 10-4 at home, so they’ve taken care of the “win most of your home games” part, even after blowing an 18-point lead to Indiana last week at the Schott. The issue, obviously, is that the Buckeyes have not won half of their road games.
Can you imagine a world where Ohio State was 3-3 on the road, instead of 0-6? It would have a record of 17-7, and be 7-6 in Big Ten play. That would put this team pretty safely into the NCAA Tournament field.
Alas, Chris Holtmann and his Buckeyes don’t have any road wins to boast. Part of it may be youth. Winning on the road is tough, but winning on the road with a bunch of underclassmen is tougher. Another issue is how bad this team is in the second half of games. They have the second-worst second-half point differential in the Big Ten, ahead of only Michigan. Receding into your shell in the second half is how you lose games, especially on the road.
But more than either of those things, this group of players just doesn’t know how to win yet. Neither the freshman or sophomore classes — nine of the 13 players on the roster — know what it’s like to play on a good team with NCAA Tournament hopes. Jamison Battle has only played on bad teams before coming to Ohio State — another bad team.
The only two players on this roster who have experienced winning in any form are Zed Key and Dale Bonner, who won plenty of games while he was at Baylor. Until this group strings several wins together and really learns how to win, it’s hard to envision them winning any big games, like Tuesday’s showdown in Madison.
And if they don’t win, they’ll get the “opportunity” to have that record all to themselves next Thursday at Minnesota.
For the second straight year, Ohio State and Texas will stage one of the most anticipated college football games of the season early on when the Buckeyes travel to Austin on Sept. 12 in Week 2. Last year, Ohio State was able to dictate the game with its defense and won a huge matchup that boosted the Buckeyes’ résumé and likely kept Texas out of the College Football Playoff.
The same could be true in 2026, according to Fox College Football’s Joel Klatt. While appearing on his own podcast, Klatt took some time to talk about the massive collision between what should be two top-five teams when the two kick things off. He believes the winner will be in good shape, but that the loser could have an uphill climb to get into the CFP.
“The loser of this game is behind the eight-ball. Ryan Day and Steve Sarkisian know exactly how important that game was to their teams and their programs a year ago,” Klatt said. “Look at what Ohio State was able to do. They had eight new starters on defense. They generated a ton of confidence — a ton of confidence in their brand new quarterback, Julian Sayin, and their new defensive coordinator, Matt Patricia. Based on what they were able to do and how they controlled the game against Texas at home early last year.
Klatt then went on to talk about this year and the difference in teams, but also how difficult the schedules are after the titanic collision at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
“You’re going to have experienced guys — this is not Arch (Manning) in his first real experience as a starter,” continued Klatt. “This is not Julian Sayin, and his first time as a real starter. Now you’ve got incumbent quarterbacks. There’s loads of expectations. These two teams are going to start in the top five; there’s no doubt. Look at these schedules, they have remaining. Ohio State — remaining big games on the schedule after traveling to Texas. They’ve got to go on the road to Iowa, Indiana, and USC in their schedule next year, and they’ve got home games against Oregon and Michigan. That’s not easy. Same can be said for Texas. Check this out — Texas’ remaining big games, they’ve got road games at Tennessee, Missouri, LSU, and Texas A&M — that one to finish out the year. They’ve got home games against Florida and Ole Miss. Not going to be easy there, and obviously the big one, the neutral in Red River against Oklahoma. So, a loss in this game, each of these teams are going to be fighting uphill, and you’re talking about major brands that do not expect to miss the playoffs.”
We’ve been saying much the same if you’ve followed us here on Buckeyes Wire. In fact, Ohio State hasn’t lost more than two regular-season games since the 2011 season, and if they drop the game at Texas, well — it’s not like the talent isn’t there to go on a run — but with that schedule, the team could be potentially better than last year and miss out on some really big goals if a bounce or break doesn’t go the Buckeyes way.
Either way, Klatt is right. There is a lot on the line even so early in the season because of what’s ahead for both of these teams, even in a world of a 12-team College Football Playoff.
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
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NECIC to host community visioning session for Mansfield’s north end in partnership with Heritage Ohio
MANSFIELD — The North End Community Improvement Collaborative, Inc. (NECIC) will host a Community Visioning Session in partnership with Heritage Ohio, Inc. on Tuesday, July 28 at 6 p.m. at the United Steelworkers Hall, located at 376 West Longview Avenue in Mansfield.
The public is invited to attend and share input on the future of Mansfield’s North End, with a focus on strengthening neighborhood revitalization efforts and identifying opportunities for continued growth and investment.
The session is part of an upcoming visit from Heritage Ohio’s Downtown Assessment Resource Team, also known as D.A.R.T. The visit is designed to help communities explore next steps for revitalization and introduce the key building blocks of a successful long term revitalization effort: organization, promotion, design, and economic vitality.
NECIC reached out to Heritage Ohio as part of its ongoing work to support revitalization in the North End, especially near the corner of Springmill Street and Bowman Street, where NECIC has been focusing recent revitalization efforts.
Since joining the organization in early 2025, NECIC President & CEO Matthew Benko- Scruggs has placed a strong focus on revitalization near the corner of Springmill Street and Bowman Street.
This work has included the organization’s move back into the neighborhood, continued investment in the area, and community centered efforts such as the Springmill Spring Cleanup event.
During the Community Visioning Session, residents, business owners, stakeholders, and other community members will have the opportunity to learn more about Heritage Ohio, the revitalization process, and ways they can help shape the future of the North End.
“We want this process to be rooted in the voices of the people who live, work, and invest in the North End,” said Benko-Scruggs. “This session is an opportunity for the community to share ideas and help guide what revitalization can look like in our neighborhood.”
Heritage Ohio, Inc. is a statewide nonprofit organization that supports the development, redevelopment, and improvement of downtowns and neighborhood districts throughout Ohio through technical assistance, training, networking, and advocacy.
Community members are encouraged to attend and take part in the conversation.
For more information, contact Director of Community Organizing Emily Schwan at 419-
522-1611, ext. 109 or Emily@necic-ohio.org.
A grand jury in Franklin County, Ohio, indicted nine people suspected of being involved in a human trafficking ring, officials said.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said in a news release on Monday that the nine people were indicted on a combined 42 felony charges in connection with the human trafficking investigation. Marcus Gant, Magon Smith, Raymond Valentine, Aimee Fabin, John W. Gibson II, Malik Jackson, Kayla Wheeler, Jeremy Lindsey, and Mackenzie Fitzpatrick face a variety of charges, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. All nine are in custody.
The news release said they are accused of using narcotics to coerce women into commercial sex work at the Econo Lodge on North Wilson Road. The suspects then laundered money through Valentine Floral on Eakin Road, officials said. The alleged crimes took place between April 2025 and January 2026.
Some of those charged face trafficking in persons, compelling prostitution and promoting prostitution charges. Of the nine, Gant faces the most charges. The 37-year-old from Columbus faces 11 different counts related to the human trafficking investigation.
The Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force led that investigation, the news release added.
According to Monday’s news release, the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office has taken previous legal action against the Econo Lodge. Officials said a lawsuit was filed earlier this year against the owner of a hotel, who was accused of “neglecting to address repeated drug and violent activity on the property.” A settlement was reached.
People can report human trafficking in Ohio by calling 844-END-OHHT, texting “ENDOHHT” to 847411, downloading the END OHHT app or submitting information online.
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