Ohio State entered the 1938 season with high hopes, having run a Michigan coach out of town following four defeats at the hands of the Buckeyes.
Francis Schmidt was 25–7 in his first four seasons as Ohio State's head coach but he wanted more.
Buckeye greats Gomer Jones and Sid Gillman joined the staff prior to that season, and with a roster bursting with talent – quarterback Mike Kabealo, tackles Joe Aleskus, Karl Kaplanoff and Alex Schoenbaum, along with fullback Jim Langhurst, to name just a few of the stars – Schmidt hoped the 1938 season would be the one to put his team over the top in its quest for a national championship.