Entering one of college football’s most hostile environments as a 30-plus point underdog doesn’t exactly excite a struggling college football squad.

But anything can happen between the opening kickoff and the final whistle, as seen throughout a year of big-time collegiate upsets.

In its toughest test of an already loaded regular season slate, UCLA football (3-6, 3-3 Big Ten) will travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on No. 1 Ohio State (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) in its final contest outside of Los Angeles in the 2025 campaign. The two are facing each other for the first time as conference foes, and the matchup between the Bruins and Buckeyes will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2001.

Ohio State’s offense:
Offensive scheme: Spread
Run-pass percentage: 54% run, 46% pass
Strength: Efficiency
Weakness: Offensive line depth
X-factors: WR Jeremiah Smith

Although the teams in the upper half of the national rankings have shifted in the AP poll throughout the season, last year’s national champion has remained at the top spot since early September.

A big contributor to Ohio State’s dominance has been the continued production of the offensive unit. Despite losing six starters and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly to the NFL, the Buckeyes are exceeding last year’s scoring offense, averaging more than 36 points per game.

The emergence of first-year starting quarterback Julian Sayin has amplified Ohio State’s offensive success, despite turnover on the offensive line and in the running back room. The Carlsbad, California, local has firmly entrenched his name in the Heisman conversation with 2,491 passing yards and 24 touchdowns to just four interceptions.

Sayin’s 91.1 QB rating and 80.9% completion percentage both rank first in the country, contributing to the Buckeyes’ +262 season point differential.

And Sayin has found a favorite target in First Team All-American wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Smith, a former five-star recruit in the class of 2024, emerged as one of the nation’s best wide receivers with his record-breaking freshman season that included 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns.

Smith’s 862 receiving yards in 2025 fail to tell the true impact of his presence, as he has been double-teamed in the majority of the Buckeyes’ 2025 contests. Despite the challenge of these defensive adjustments, the sophomore star has continued to make highlight reel catches, reeling in 10 touchdowns.

The Buckeyes have other prolific weapons across the field. Carnell Tate, who recorded 733 receiving yards and four touchdowns last season, has already notched 711 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in 2025. While scratched for the previous contest against the Boilermakers due to an undisclosed injury, he could return against the Bruins.

Despite losing dynamic backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins to the NFL, the running back room has been another key piece for offensive coordinator Brian Hartline’s attack. True freshman Bo Jackson has become the offense’s feature back, while Hartline has used CJ Donaldson in third-down and redzone situations, recording nine touchdowns on the ground.

The only minimal setbacks for the Buckeyes have been injuries and depth changes across the offensive line. In Ohio State’s 34-14 win against Purdue last weekend, starting right tackle Phillip Daniels and rotational guard Josh Padilla were both sidelined with injuries.

Hartline moves his offense down the field meticulously, exploiting defensive tendencies to gash teams through the air or on the ground. Sayin’s high completion percentage is based on the efficient hybrid spread offense that Hartline has brought to Columbus.

Despite a higher tendency to run the ball, the pass has represented one of Ohio State’s most effective tools to put points on the board. Sayin plays a clean brand of football that mitigates risky throws and prioritizes high-efficiency concepts.

Hartline has utilized physical run plays and play-action concepts that keep opposing coordinators guessing when defenses adjust to the aerial attack.

The deep ball is a constant threat for teams taking on the Buckeyes with speedy options across the board. The Bruins’ defense will have to play its cleanest game this season to limit penalties and prevent explosive plays downfield.

Defensive lines have sacked Sayin just five times in 2025 – two of which came in his most recent game against Purdue. UCLA’s defense has just six sacks, the lowest figure in the country, which will make pressure on the young signal caller another challenge.

The UCLA defense will have the best chance at slowing down an offense that has rarely missed a stride all season by mitigating big plays and penalties.

Ohio State’s defense:
Defensive scheme: 4-2-5
Strength: Limiting scoring
Weakness: Nothing
X-factor: S Caleb Downs

The Buckeyes’ defense has been lights out.

Under first-year defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, the Ohio State defense leads the country in total yards per game allowed – with 211.6 – and points allowed, with opposing offenses scoring just seven touchdowns on the Buckeyes this season.

Patricia’s installed 4-2-5 scheme relies on highly capable athletes at each position group to neutralize the run and shut down the pass. The five-defensive-back look has benefited the defense’s ability to lead the country in fewest opponent passing yards allowed per attempt, with fewer than five.

The most effective unit for the Buckeyes this season has been the linebacker position. Arvell Reese, who has emerged as one of the best defensive players in college football, has registered 6.5 sacks and 55 solo tackles. Reese has also been widely regarded as one of the top 2026 NFL Draft prospects, with some mock draft boards having him selected first overall.

Alongside Reese, Sonny Styles, the second linebacker in the 4-2-5 scheme, has boasted another season of high production with 51 total tackles.

Caden Curry is another Buckeye up front enjoying a breakout campaign. Curry currently leads the team with seven sacks – close to double the amount he logged across his previous three seasons in Columbus. Curry has been a force in Big Ten backfields, using a five-technique outside the tackle to dominate opposing offensive lines.

Safety Caleb Downs has continued his dominance on the back end of the defense. In his second season with the Buckeyes following his breakout freshman campaign with Alabama, Downs has limited big plays with his athleticism and tackling ability.

Designating an X-factor among this defense that is loaded with future professional players is incredibly difficult, but Downs’ work as a safety has been crucial. Outside of his coverage and tackling ability, Patricia has also sent Downs on safety blitzes to hawk down quarterbacks.

The dominance of Reese and Styles in the box, paired with the physicality of the front four, is likely going to usher in a more pass-heavy Bruin game plan, making Downs and the back end of the Buckeyes defense the most likely unit to be tested Saturday.

Expect Patricia to keep building five-man surfaces with Styles or Reese against the Bruins, challenging the UCLA offensive line with blitzes or simulated pressures to complicate protection and run assignments up front.

For the Bruins to remain competitive offensively, self-inflicted negatives, such as penalties and miscommunication, must be limited against the best defense in college football. Setting up manageable third downs will keep things simple for an offensive unit that struggles to get ahead of the chains on early downs.

For a team that has already lost the maximum number of games to retain bowl eligibility, the margin of error in every game remaining on UCLA’s schedule is incredibly thin.

And against the No. 1 team in the country on the road, even minor missteps can be detrimental.