Comparing Ohio State vs. Oregon at Every Position

While Ohio State’s first five opponents would have struggled to put together a combined lineup on par with the Buckeyes’ starting 22, Oregon has plenty of players who could push for starting jobs or at least contribute at Ohio State.

Both teams’ rosters are well-stocked with veteran stars and highly touted recruits, setting up what should be a competitive game in all phases. There aren’t many areas where either team has a clear and obvious advantage over the other, making this battle between the nation’s second- and third-ranked teams a true matchup game.

With that in mind, we take a side-by-side look at how Ohio State and Oregon stack up with one another at every position and make our picks for where each team has the edge – though there’s an argument to be made for either team at most positions. At the end of the article, I put together a composite lineup of who I think the starters would be if both teams’ rosters were combined.

Quarterback

There are a lot of similarities between Will Howard and Dillon Gabriel. Both of them are “super seniors” who are only still playing college football because they were able to use the extra year of eligibility all players received in 2020. Both of them transferred to their current teams after playing in the Big 12 last year – Gabriel at Oklahoma and Howard at Kansas State. Both of them are efficient passers and effective runners who are better in the short and intermediate game than they are throwing deep.

Howard has Gabriel beat on size (6-foot-4, 235 pounds vs. 6-0, 200) and has thrown for nearly one more yard per passing attempt this season (9.6 vs. 8.7), but there’s a reason why Ohio State was in communication with Gabriel before it took Howard. Over the totality of their college careers, Gabriel has been the more efficient passer than Howard (160.6 passer rating vs. 141.2), and he beat out Howard for All-Big 12 honors in 2023. Gabriel also already has a win over a top-three team to his credit, leading Oklahoma to a rivalry game win over Texas last season in the Longhorns’ only regular-season loss of 2023.

With Howard still having plenty to prove entering his first big game as a Buckeye, we give Oregon the slight edge at quarterback.

Advantage: Oregon

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Running Back

Oregon has a productive running back in Jordan James (88 carries, 552 yards, 5 TD), but he’s the third-best running back in this matchup. Ohio State has the nation’s best running back tandem in Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, who have already combined for 805 yards and nine touchdowns on 102 carries this season, leading the way for an Ohio State rushing offense that ranks fifth nationally with 6.24 yards per carry.

Oregon hasn’t gotten much production yet from its No. 2 running back, Noah Whittington, who has only 165 rushing yards and one touchdown on 42 carries. That gives the Buckeyes the clear advantage at running back – one Ohio State would have against just about any team other than Boise State, who ran for 221 yards and three touchdowns against Oregon with Heisman frontrunner Ashton Jeanty leading the way.

Advantage: Ohio State

Wide Receivers

Oregon has one of the nation’s top receiving trios in Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden and Evan Stewart, but this is another position where “one of the best” gets beat out by “the best.” While Johnson ranks among college football’s better receivers with four 80-yard games including two 100-yard games already to his credit this season, he’d be the No. 3 receiver at Ohio State behind Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka, who rank firmly among the nation’s elite playmakers with 53 combined catches for 886 yards and 11 touchdowns already this season.

Add in this week’s expected return of Carnell Tate, who’d likely be the No. 2 receiver at Oregon, and the Buckeyes’ assortment of receiving playmakers is one of their biggest strengths even against a team that’s also excellent at the position.

Advantage: Ohio State

Tight End

Since no Ohio State tight end has emerged as a consistent receiving weapon yet this season, Oregon has a clear advantage at that position with Terrance Ferguson, who ranks third among all Big Ten tight ends with 259 receiving yards on 16 catches. 

His advantage over Ohio State’s tight ends as a blocker is less pronounced, but he’ll force the Buckeyes to account for his receiving threat over the middle of the field in a way that Ohio State’s tight ends haven’t yet established themselves this season.

Advantage: Oregon

Offensive Tackle

Josh Simmons could make a case for being the best offensive tackle in this game with how well he’s played so far this season, but Josh Fryar’s ability to hold up in pass protection lingers as one of Ohio State’s biggest concerns entering this matchup as the Buckeyes prepare for the best pass-rush they’ve faced all season.

Oregon has a strong pair of starting tackles in left tackle Josh Conerly Jr. and right tackle Ajani Cornelius, who Ohio State pursued as a potential transfer addition in 2023 before it landed Simmons. Both of them earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention recognition a year ago. Statistically, Ohio State’s tackles have outperformed Oregon’s so far this season, allowing just one combined sack (Fryar) while Conerly and Cornelius have combined to allow three (per Pro Football Focus), but the Buckeyes’ edge protectors still enter this game with more to prove.

Advantage: Oregon

Interior Offensive Line

Ohio State’s interior offensive line has been rock-solid so far this season, especially since Donovan Jackson returned to the lineup at left guard. Oregon’s interior offensive line, on the other hand, has been one of its shakiest units as it’s tried out multiple different interior lineups with expected starting right guard Matthew Bedford sidelined by a knee injury he suffered in preseason camp.

Tegra Tshabola is still proving himself at right guard entering his first marquee game as an Ohio State starter, but Donovan Jackson and Seth McLaughlin would be the first two interior offensive linemen selected in a draft between these two teams. The stabilizing presence McLaughlin has brought to Ohio State at center this year gives the Buckeyes the edge in this position comparison.

Advantage: Ohio State

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Defensive End

Oregon’s Jordan Burch has been one of the country’s most disruptive defensive ends so far this season, already recording seven tackles for loss with five sacks and four pass breakups. Former Ohio State recruiting target Matayo Uiagalalei has been a great complement to Burch with 3.5 sacks already this season, while Jack linebacker Teitum Tuioti provides another pass-rushing threat off the edge.

That said, Ohio State has an elite defensive end tandem of its own in Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau, plus great depth behind them with Caden Curry, Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Mitchell Melton. Add in the rumor that Burch suffered an injury in practice on Thursday – though multiple Oregon reporters have said they expect him to play – and the well-rounded nature of Ohio State’s defensive end group gives the Buckeyes a slight edge here.

Advantage: Ohio State

Defensive Tackle

Had Derrick Harmon transferred to Ohio State over Oregon, the Buckeyes would have a clear advantage here. The Buckeyes pursued the Michigan State transfer before he ultimately became a Duck, and Ohio State could certainly use him in a thinner-than-ideal defensive tackle rotation. Harmon has been highly disruptive for Oregon, recording 19 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and three pass breakups this season to lead a strong interior defensive line with 340-pound nose tackle Jamaree Caldwell.

But we don’t believe Harmon would be starting at Ohio State over Ty Hamilton or Tyleik Williams, who have been an elite tandem when they’ve both been on the field this season. Oregon has better DT depth than Ohio State, who doesn’t appear to trust its backup DTs to play substantial snaps in a game of this magnitude yet, but the Buckeyes’ starting duo gives them a narrow edge across the defensive line.

Advantage: Ohio State

Linebackers

While Cody Simon and Sonny Styles are entering this game with momentum after a standout performance by both against Iowa, it’s still a lingering question how well they’ll hold up in coverage against an offense like Oregon’s with a vast group of weapons to test the linebackers in the passing game.

Oregon middle linebacker Bryce Boettcher has been a standout in all areas for the Ducks’ defense this year, currently ranking as the nation’s fourth-highest graded linebacker per PFF. Jeffrey Bassa is a battle-tested linebacker who’s in his fourth year as a starter for the Ducks after earning second-team All-Pac-12 honors last season. Their proven reliability on the second line of Oregon’s defense gives the Ducks an edge at this position.

Advantage: Oregon

Oregon’s defense is led by a standout linebacker tandem in Bryce Boettcher (pictured) and Jeffrey Bassa. (Photo: Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard/USA TODAY NETWORK)

Cornerbacks

Both teams have an elite No. 1 cornerback with Denzel Burke leading Ohio State’s secondary and Jabbar Muhammad leading Oregon’s secondary. Both were first-team all-conference players in 2023 and have continued to excel in 2024 as they’ve led the way for their respective defenses to rank eighth (Ohio State) and ninth (Oregon) nationally in yards allowed per passing attempt.

Nikko Reed and Dontae Manning have both been solid rotating opposite Muhammad while Brandon Johnson has been among the nation’s best slot cornerbacks so far this season, giving the Ducks a legitimate argument for an edge at this position. But we’re giving the nod to the Buckeyes with how impactful Davison Igbinosun and Jordan Hancock can each be in both the run and pass games as full-time starters.

Advantage: Ohio State

Safeties

Kansas State transfer Kobe Savage has provided stability to the back end of Oregon’s defense alongside returning starter Tysheem Johnson, but neither of them are quite the difference-makers for the Ducks that Caleb Downs and Lathan Ransom are for the Buckeyes.

Downs has looked more and more like the best safety in college football with each passing week as he’s made plays all over the field for the Buckeyes while Ransom has been a major impact player from the strong safety, leading Ohio State with 4.5 tackles for loss. Together, they give Ohio State its most pronounced edge at any position on defense, though Johnson and Savage are far from a weakness for the Ducks.

Advantage: Ohio State

Projected Composite Lineup