Ryan Day says Ohio State starts playoff season now after USC loss.

Ryan Day said it himself: Ohio State is starting the playoff season right now.

That was the message from the head coach's weekly radio show Thursday night, hours after the Buckeyes returned from a 30-10 loss at USC.

For the first time in the Ryan Day era, Ohio State enters November with two losses.

After losing at Texas in Week 2, the Buckeyes suffered a second defeat last Saturday at the Coliseum.

If this loss stemmed from Julian Sayin's injury and the Scarlet and Gray had to start a freshman quarterback on the road, that would be one thing.

However, Luke Fahey, Sayin's replacement, played well against the Trojans.

The rest of the team didn't elevate to support him, and that's why Ohio State returned to Columbus defeated.

The season is not over.

The 12th-ranked Buckeyes have four games remaining and, even after a disappointing loss, can still achieve their goals of beating rival Michigan, winning the Big Ten, and making the College Football Playoff.

To do that, the Scarlet and Gray have to return to the form they showed before the USC game, perhaps even better.

That starts on Saturday, when No. 23 Oregon comes to Ohio Stadium.

The Ducks have had a rough season, already losing three games despite entering the year with expectations similar to Ohio State's.

The two teams have faced similar problems, including injuries and mistakes that have cost them games.

Oregon's first sign of trouble came in Week 2, when they lost at Oklahoma State.

Then came the injury to quarterback Dante Moore, who was considered a Heisman Trophy candidate, along with losses to UCLA and at Illinois.

The Buckeyes hope to add a fourth loss to Dan Lanning's 2026 résumé in the third meeting as Big Ten foes.

The Saturday winner will stay alive for the Playoff, with a chance to live up to preseason hype and compete for the national championship.

The loser is likely out of contention.

Day joined Jim Lachey and Paul Keels on 97.1 The Fan for his weekly radio show to discuss what happened at the Coliseum, where the Scarlet and Gray need to improve and what he sees from Oregon this year.

One of the biggest issues against USC was the pass rush.

Ohio State's defensive line came up empty against the Trojans.

The Buckeyes gave up multiple explosive plays in uncharacteristic ways.

The defensive line had no pressure on USC quarterback Jayden Maiava throughout the night, and he wasn't sacked once.

Ohio State's defensive line has been mediocre this year.

The Buckeyes lost leading sack man Caden Curry from last season, and they haven't been able to replace his production off the edge.

Kenyatta Jackson was expected to be that guy for Ohio State's defense this season.

However, Jackson has just three sacks through eight games, and the defensive line is still searching for its best answers at getting pressure on the quarterback.

Outside of Jackson, nobody on the roster has more than the two sacks linebacker Riley Pettijohn has recorded.

Enter Khary Wilder.

Early in the season, the freshman got a lot of attention for getting after the quarterback consistently with pressure.

He wasn't turning that pressure into sacks, but you could see what he brought to the table, and it was exciting to least to say.

Wilder has dealt with some injuries since then.

He hasn't been on the field since the Illinois game at the end of September.

He's played in just four games this season and has one tackle to his name.

Still, it sounds like Ohio State is thinking about giving him another shot.

Day gave an update on the freshman Wednesday.

"It's good that he's healthy now," Day pointed out. "Fully healthy."

"So that is good and we've had conversations about giving him an opportunity to get in there," Day said.

"It is a little more difficult when you find yourself in a situation where..."

Day didn't finish the thought, but the door is open.

Meanwhile, the Buckeyes received positive news on the injury to starting quarterback Julian Sayin.

According to Day, the team has received positive news on Sayin's recovery.

He won't be back next week or next month per Day, but long term, they got good news.

After the injury, Day said that Ohio State is preparing as if Sayin could be out for the remainder of the 2026 season.

While this doesn't mean that won't still be the case, it's a positive development nonetheless.

"I'll kind of let him handle that, his family," Day said.

"All things considered, the outcome with the different options that were (available) kind of going into the situation thinking it could be, I think this has been a decent outcome for us and for him."