A week after the No. 11 Ohio State Buckeyes were riding high off a five-game win streak and the Oregon Ducks came off a third loss, the story completely flipped. The two college football powerhouses are set to face off in Columbus, with the visiting Ducks entering with momentum, while the Buckeyes are coming off a disappointing loss.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day broke down the upcoming matchup on Tuesday and didn’t hold back his praise for Oregon’s talented roster.

Ryan Day Lauds Oregon Ducks’ Talent

The Buckeyes fell to the previously unranked Trojans in Los Angeles 30-18 in Week 9. The Ducks, meanwhile, picked up a big result at Autzen Stadium by defeating the previously ranked No. 20 Northwestern Wildcats 34-26.

Oregon made notable changes ahead of that game after a slew of offensive outings that fell short of 20 points. Offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer and the program parted ways, with assistant quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson heading play-calling duties.

Quarterback Dylan Raiola started consecutive games for the first time this season and threw for three touchdowns and 336 yards. Raiola was one name that Day singled out when talking about Oregon’s talent on Tuesday.

“They have as much talent as anybody in the country,” Day said. “This team is excellent. I know that they've lost three games, but put the film on. I mean, they have NFL players all over the field, and they have speed at wideout. They have a good offensive line, a really good tight end. The running backs run hard, and then Raiola has played a lot of football as an experienced quarterback, so this is a major challenge for us.”

Day and the Buckeyes saw Raiola play in Columbus back in 2024 when he was a true freshman at Nebraska. Raiola threw 152 yards and rushed for another 31, but didn’t record any touchdown passes and threw n interception. He did give Ohio State and scare, however, with it ending in a 21-17 Buckeyes win.

But more than that, one of Raiola’s biggest performances in a Ducks’ uniform came in the emotional win 41-27 in Los Angeles in Week 4, when he record 289 yards and two touchdowns. Day noted the differences between Oregon and Ohio State’s results against USC this season.

“And you saw the way that they played against USC, and we just lost USC,” he said. “So, I know that maybe some of these records or whatever this season seem a little bit out of whack, but this team going into the season was predicted to be the National Champ, and they haven't lost a whole bunch of players. They're really talented. They're very, very good on defense as well.”

“I mean, this is as good as a team as we've played all year in terms of talent,” he added. “And when they're on, they're on, and they played really good last week. So, in Dylan in particular, he's played a lot of football, and he has got a strong arm. He understands what's going on. He's an older guy.”

Keeping Mistakes Minimal Key for Both Programs

The Oregon vs. Ohio State showdown entering Week 10 doesn’t exactly fit the bill of what many fans expected it to be ahead of the season. The Buckeyes ranked No. 1 in the preseason, with the Ducks behind at No. 2. Instead, Oregon comes in with three losses and Ohio State with two losses.

Both programs have been hindered by costly mistakes, quarterback injuries and offensive line shuffling throughout the season. Day recognizes that Oregon’s not a team to be discounted because of its record, and a similar performance to the one the Buckeyes had against USC likely won’t cut it.

“So, we talked about it before that the margin for error here is tiny, and so we better recognize that if we don't get these things fixed and play better, like this isn't going to get any better against Oregon,” Day said.

“We got to be better than they are in all phases, and so yeah, I mean that's the challenge for this week, and it's not going to go well if we don't get these things fixed like now,” he continued. “And so, the urgency had better be really high for everybody, coaches and players included.”