Showdown in Seattle: No. 1 Ohio State Faces Washington at Husky Stadium; Week 5 picks

Top-ranked Buckeyes visit Husky Stadium — can Washington pull the upset?

No. 1 Ohio State at Washington

Date: Saturday - September 27, 2025, 12:30 p.m. PT
Location: Husky Stadium (Seattle, WA)
TV: CBS

Ohio State Overview

Record: 3-0

Conference: Big Ten

Coach: Ryan Day

Key Players:

• Jeremiah Smith (So.) Wide Receiver - Smith won’t be eligible for the NFL Draft until 2027, but people are saying he is a “generational prospect.” Through three games for the Buckeyes, Smith is not suffering from a sophomore slump, as he has tallied 20 receptions for 315 yards and three touchdowns. He is the fastest wide receiver in Ohio State history to reach 1,500 career receiving yards. He got there quicker than guys like Marvin Harrison Jr., Garrett Wilson, Terry McLaurin, and others. Smith is in a league of his own.

• Caleb Downs (Jr.) Safety - Before the start of the season, at least one Ohio State football blog argued that Downs had a shot at winning the Heisman. The 2024 unanimous first-team All-American was instrumental to Ohio State’s championship run last season. Like Smith, Downs is a high-end NFL draft prospect. NFL GMs attending the Buckeyes’ opening win over Texas characterized Downs as having “[f]lawless instinct” and “scary closing speed.”

• Julian Sayin (So.) Quarterback - Sayin enters Saturday’s game with the highest completion percentage in the country (78.9%). The sophomore has tossed seven touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ wins over Grambling and Ohio. Against Texas, he only completed 13-for-20 passes for 126 yards. Early returns on his performance have been positive, but it remains to be seen if he will be a game-changing type of quarterback for the Buckeyes as the team enters Big Ten play.

Three Things to Know

Home Sweet Home. Washington’s win streak at Husky Stadium remains intact at 22 games. The team’s last loss at home was a 40-13 Apple Cup loss to Washington State in 2021. The betting line for this game opened at -11.5 for Ohio State on Sunday. It has now dropped three points to -8.5. While the Buckeyes are certainly the favorite, it may be the case that Husky Stadium and its crowd will help keep this game close for the Huskies.

.923. Ohio State Head Coach Ryan Day has led the Buckeyes to a 24-2 record in Big Ten road games. The two losses came at the hands of No. 2 Oregon in Autzen Stadium (2024) and at No. 3 Michigan in Ann Arbor (2023). Additionally, the Buckeyes are running a seven-game winning streak, the second-longest in the nation, behind Memphis’ eight-game winning streak.

The 2019 Rose Bowl. These two teams last met in Pasadena in the 2019 Rose Bowl, following the 2018 season. Washington won the Pac-12 championship that season under Chris Petersen, while Ohio State narrowly missed the College Football Playoff, ranked No. 6 in the CFP rankings. The Huskies’ offense sputtered in that game, digging itself into a 20-3 deficit entering the fourth quarter. Washington scored 20 points in that final quarter, but Ohio State held on for a 28-23 victory.

Washington’s Keys to Victory

Key 1: Force Turnovers

Sayin is a solid quarterback, but it’s unclear how good. Three interceptions against Grambling and Ohio in Ohio State’s last two games may be a sign of a potential vulnerability for the Buckeyes’ offense. At the same time, the Huskies’ defense is coming off a two-interception and one fumble recovery game against Washington State. Pulling off the upset will require turnovers from the Huskies’ secondary.

Key 2: Limiting Ohio State Third-and-Long Conversions

How can Washington stay in this game? Having a loud Husky Stadium will help, but having a healthy Tacario Davis will help even more. It’s unclear right now whether Davis will be ready to go on Saturday. His absence in the Apple Cup was felt, as the Husky secondary surrendered 277 yards through the air and two passing touchdowns. if Davis is healthy, he will be crucial in helping prevent third-down conversions and getting Washington the ball back on offense.

Key 3: Keep the Ohio State running game at-bay

Through three games, granted two of those being against Grambling State and Ohio, the Ohio State run game has averaged 192.0 yard per-game on 5.6 yards per-carry. The Buckeyes’ run game does not hang on the head of one bell-cow back, rather a stable of three equally talented backs. The West Virginia transfer CJ Donaldson leads the way, but young James Peoples and Bo Jackson have made their presence felt as well. Washington limited Wazzu to just 25 yards on the ground on 28 attempts and will look to keep a much more talented Ohio State group in check come Saturday.

Prediction

The spread: Ohio State is favored by 9.5 points.

Kevin: There’s something special about Husky Stadium. I think this really comes down to whether Tacario Davis is healthy. If Davis can neutralize Jeremiah Smith and the Huskies can pressure Julian Sayin just enough to win a few third-down conversions and maybe even force a turnover or two, then I think the Huskies can win this game. There is a talent disparity for sure on both sides of the football, but I think a game at home will help a few bounces go the Huskies’ way here. Kevin’s Pick: Washington 33, Ohio State 26

Danny: If this game turns into a shoot-out, Washington will win. The Washington offense has looked as close to perfect as Jedd Fisch could possibly hope through three games and it will take a stellar defensive performance from the Ohio State defense to slow it down. If the UW defense forces even a couple of stops, the offense should be able to keep churning out points in what will ultimately be a hard-fought Washington victory over the No. 1 team in the country. Danny’s Pick: Washington 45, Ohio State 42

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Week 5 Picks

2025 Records

• Kevin: (Straight up, 13-2; vs. the spread, 7-8)

• Danny: (Straight up, 10-5; vs. the spread, 6-9)

No. 11 USC (4-0) at No. 23 Illinois (3-1) (Saturday at 9 a.m., FOX)

The spread: USC is favored by 6.5 points

Kevin’s pick: USC 38, Illinois 32

Danny’s Pick: Illinois 24, USC 20

No. 4 LSU (4-0) at No. 13 Ole Miss (4-0) (Saturday at 12:30 p.m., ABC)

The spread: Ole Miss is favored by 1.5 points

Kevin’s pick: Ole Miss 24, LSU 23

Danny’s Pick: Ole Miss 35, LSU 17

No. 11 Indiana (4-0) at Iowa (3-1) (Saturday at 12:30 p.m., Peacock)

The spread: Indiana is favored by 7.5 points

Kevin’s pick: Indiana 27, Iowa 24

Danny’s Pick: Indiana 21, Iowa 13

Arizona (3-0) at No. 14 Iowa State (4-0) (Saturday at 4 p.m., ESPN)

The spread: Iowa State is favored by 5.5 points

Kevin’s pick: Iowa State 24, Arizona 20

Danny’s Pick: Iowa State 28, Arizona 10

No. 6 Oregon (3-0) at No. 3 Penn State (3-0) (Saturday at 4:30 p.m, NBC/Peacock)

The spread: Penn State is favored by 3.5 points

Kevin’s pick: Oregon 27, Penn State 24

Danny’s Pick: Penn State 31, Oregon 27

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