Wk 3 · 2026

Kent State Golden Flashes at Ohio State Buckeyes — Sat, Sep 19

Sat, Sep 19 · Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH · FOX

Weather

No forecast yet. This one is 19 days away. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.

Kent State Golden Flashes

MAC · no games yet

12:00pET

no line posted yet

Ratings differential OSU by 34.1

#1 Ohio State Buckeyes

Big Ten · no games yet

What is at stake

A non-conference game. It moves both overall records but neither conference race. Ohio State is ranked #1 (AP Top 25 · 2026-08-17).

What the ratings imply

The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers: The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus 2.4 points of home field. It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026 games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have changed.

Efficiency · 2026 ratings

Kent State: -12.2#127

Efficiency margin

Ohio State: +19.5#4

Kent State: 22.8

Offense (pts/100)

Ohio State: 32.0

Kent State: 35.0

Defense (pts/100)

Ohio State: 12.5

Kent State: 65.5

Pace (plays/g)

Ohio State: 65.5

Kent State: no data

Yards / play

Ohio State: no data

Kent State: no data

Yards / play allowed

Ohio State: no data

Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.

Team stats · 2026 per game

Kent State: no data

Points / game

Ohio State: no data

Kent State: no data

Points allowed

Ohio State: no data

Kent State: no data

Yards / game

Ohio State: no data

Kent State: no data

Yards allowed

Ohio State: no data

Kent State: no data

Pass yds allowed

Ohio State: no data

Kent State: no data

Rush yds allowed

Ohio State: no data

Kent State: no data

Turnovers / game

Ohio State: no data

From completed 2026 box scores; defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.

Kent State form

No completed games on record.

Ohio State form

No completed games on record.

Kent State this season

No graded games yet this season. Lines are captured before kickoff and graded when a game goes final, so these records start at Week 1.

Ohio State this season

No graded games yet this season. Lines are captured before kickoff and graded when a game goes final, so these records start at Week 1.

Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.

Common opponents · 1

Opponent	Kent State	Ohio State
Ball State MAC	vs Wk 4 · scheduled preview	vs Wk 1 · scheduled preview

Open these two in the comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.

Series history · 2006–2026

Since 2006, Ohio State leads 2–0 · Ohio State has won the last 2

2 meetings in 2006–2026 · average margin 55.5 points toward Ohio State

Yr	Date	Result	Site	Won
2014	2014-09-13	Kent State 0 — 66 Ohio State	at OSU	Ohio State
2007	2007-10-13	Kent State 3 — 48 Ohio State	at OSU	Ohio State

Kent State leaders 2025 regular season

Passing	Dru DeShields QB #12	136/240, 2030 YDS, 18 TD, 3 INT
	CJ Montes QB #7	10/19, 140 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing	Gavin Garcia RB #5	146 CAR, 647 YDS, 3 TD
	Jordan Nubin RB #27	79 CAR, 253 YDS, 1 TD
	Jahzae Kimbrough RB #84	39 CAR, 97 YDS
Receiving	Cade Wolford WR #8	19 REC, 509 YDS, 7 TD
	Da'Shawn Martin WR #18	33 REC, 507 YDS, 4 TD
	Wayne Harris WR #6	35 REC, 383 YDS, 1 TD
	Ardell Banks WR #1	12 REC, 205 YDS, 2 TD

Defense

Tackles	Mason Woods LB #0	94
	CJ Young LB #8	89
	Joel Cordoba DB #2	68
Sacks	Jamond Mathis LB #8	6
	Jelani Davis DL #95	2.5
	CJ Young LB #8	2.5
Interceptions	Terrell Miller CB #18	2
	Joel Boamah CB #12	1
	CJ Young LB #8	1

full roster and per-player history

Ohio State leaders 2025 regular season

Passing	Julian Sayin QB #10	279/356, 3323 YDS, 31 TD, 6 INT
	Lincoln Kienholz QB #3	11/14, 139 YDS, 1 TD
Rushing	Bo Jackson RB #25	168 CAR, 1035 YDS, 5 TD
	James Peoples RB #1	61 CAR, 344 YDS, 3 TD
	CJ Donaldson RB #12	89 CAR, 330 YDS, 10 TD
Receiving	Jeremiah Smith WR #4	80 REC, 1086 YDS, 11 TD
	Carnell Tate WR #17	48 REC, 838 YDS, 9 TD
	Max Klare TE #86	43 REC, 448 YDS, 2 TD
	Brandon Inniss WR #1	32 REC, 237 YDS, 3 TD

Defense

Tackles	Sonny Styles LB #0	81
	Arvell Reese LB #8	62
	Caden Curry EDGE #92	60
Sacks	Caden Curry EDGE #92	11
	Arvell Reese LB #8	6.5
	Kenyatta Jackson Jr. DE #2	6.5
Interceptions	Davison Igbinosun CB #1	2
	Caleb Downs S #2	2
	Jermaine Mathews Jr. CB #7	2

full roster and per-player history

These are regular-season totals for the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year, taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still appears against the year he earned it; the roster pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is. A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.