How to Watch Ball State vs. Ohio State: TV Channel, Live Stream, Time

The Ball State Cardinals visit the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, September 5, 2026 at 12:30 p.m. ET from Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH.

Ohio State opens as the preseason No. 1 team at home against Ball State on Saturday, with quarterback Julian Sayin coming off a 2025 season of 3,610 passing yards and 32 touchdowns. Ohio State posted the highest completion rate in the country last year at 76.7%, while Ball State finished with the fewest total yards in Division I at 2,551. Ohio State is a 50.5-point favorite at DraftKings, with the total set at 56.5.

Below, we'll give you all the details you need to know about how to watch this game.

How to Watch Ball State vs. Ohio State

• When: Saturday, September 5, 2026 at 12:30 p.m. ET
• Where: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH
• TV: BTN
• Stream: Watch 3 days free on FOX One

Players to Watch

Tyler Mizzell

QBBall State Cardinals

Ball State is still climbing out of the MAC's lower tier in coach Mike Uremovich's second year, and Mizzell gives the offense real juice at quarterback. He threw for 2,889 yards and 28 touchdowns a season ago at Division II Concord, with five games of 300 passing yards or more, the kind of volume production that earned him a shot at the FBS level. Ohio State's defense is replacing key pieces after last year's championship run, but this is still a massive step up in competition for Mizzell in his first game above Division II. How he handles that jump will say plenty about whether his production translates.

Jeremiah Smith

WROhio State Buckeyes

Smith is the best player in college football, and it is not particularly close. He nearly became the first two-time winner of the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver last season, and Ohio State is banking on him to make replacing 11 NFL draft picks, including three first-round selections, look easier than it should be. Ball State's defense has not faced a receiver with Smith's combination of size and separation, and there is no reason to expect Ohio State's staff to manage his workload in a game this lopsided on paper. If Smith opens the season the way he played most of last year, this will be over by the second quarter.

Ball State vs. Ohio State Odds

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