Tag: Ohio State Football Schedule

Desmond Howard takes shot at Ohio State football early-season schedule

Ohio State football didn’t have a difficult first month of the season, and Desmond Howard isn’t letting people forget that.

Ohio State football’s early-season schedule drew a ton of criticism from numerous personalities, and most still are harping on how the Buckeyes have yet to play a Power 5 opponent.

That will change Saturday as they head up to East Lansing to face conference opponent Michigan State.

However, former Michigan wide receiver and current college football personality Desmond Howard isn’t letting the public forget about the Buckeyes first month.

‘The trenches, watch that battle in the trenches. I’m not sure – I’m gonna have to ask Pete [Thamel] later on because Michigan State has lost at least three wide receivers early in the season. I don’t know who’s coming back. … But Ohio State, finally, welcome to the 2024 college football season up in East Lansing against Sparty,” Howard said on College Football Live via On3’s Nick Schultz.

The Spartans aren’t exactly a team expected to give Ohio State hiccups. They are 3-1 on the season but are coming off a 23-19 road loss to Boston College. Michigan State has exceeded expectations when an underdog. It is 1-1 as an underdog and has covered the spread in both games as an underdog.

The Spartans haven’t beaten the Buckeyes since 2015 though, dropping eight straight games. Ohio State beat Michigan State 49-20 the last time both teams were in East Lansing (2022).

With conference games starting to heat up, the Buckeyes schedule will start to either prove the doubters right or wrong, especially with Iowa on October 5 and Oregon the week after.

Ohio State still has Oregon, Penn State and Michigan on the schedule, all currently within the top 15.

Ohio State football makes adjustment to 2025 nonconference schedule

A quick note about a couple of football schedule changes for 2025. #GoBucks

According to a release from the Ohio State Department of Athletics on Monday, the OSU football program has made a couple of adjustments to its 2025 schedule.

The Buckeyes were originally scheduled to host UConn on October 18, but that game has been mutually canceled between the two institutions. In addition, Ohio State has added a game on Sept. 6 vs. FCS opponent, Grambling State. That was originally an open date after the Buckeyes host the Texas Longhorns just a week earlier. OSU will face the Ohio Bobcats the following Saturday after the matchup with Grambling.

So, if you are keeping track, the 2025 schedule as we know it, looks like the following with the remainder of the docket to come out later.

Ohio State 2025 Nonconference Schedule
Aug. 30 – Texas
Sept. 6 – Grambling
Sept. 13 – Ohio

In addition, beyond 2025, here’s how things look with nonconference opponents through 2028:

Ohio State 2026 Nonconference Schedule
Sept. 5 – Ball State
Sept. 12 – at Texas
Sept. 19 – Kent State

Ohio State 2027 Nonconference Schedule
Sept. 4 – Bowling Green
Sept. 11 – New Hampshire
Sept. 18 – Alabama

Ohio State 2028 Nonconference Schedule
Sept. 2 – Buffalo
Sept. 9 – at Alabama
Sept. 16 – Northern Illinois

We’ll bring any other schedule additions or modifications that occur as they are made available.

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Southwest Airlines adds additional flights for Ohio State vs. Oregon

For your planning purposes. #GoBucks

Big time college football is big-time business and not just for those that are taking part or reaping the rewards of ticket and gate revenue. It has tentacles that can stretch out beyond what you might think across other industries.

We have one such example that came from the desk of Southwest Airlines last week. With the addition of West Coast teams Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and USC to the Big Ten, traveling is going to get more important, not only for the players and support staff, but for fans as well.

Southwest Airlines is keen to it all because the company offered up a press release to add flights for fans wanting to get from Columbus to Eugene for the big matchup on Saturday, October 12, along with other destinations for big college football games this fall. The flights added are from Columbus to/from Portland on Friday, October 11 and Sunday, October 13.

“Thinking about following your favorite college football team on the road this season? Southwest just made it easier for you with extra flights to see six marquee matchups in September and October.

“On key weekends, we’ve added extra service between New Orleans and Las Vegas, Nashville and Oklahoma City, as well as Atlanta and Austin. Additionally, new service kicks off between Austin and Detroit, Birmingham and Milwaukee, and Columbus and Portland, Ore.”

Other games Southwest added additional flights for include:

  • LSU vs. USC on Sept. 1 in Las Vegas (New Orleans to/from Las Vegas)
  • Texas at Michigan on Sept. 7 (Austin to/from Detroit)
  • Alabama at Wisconsin on Sept. 14 (Birmingham to/from Milwaukee)
  • Tennessee at Oklahoma on Sept. 21 (Nashville to/from Oklahoma City)
  • Georgia at Texas on Oct. 19 (Atlanta to/from Austin)

So, if you are making travel plans already, you may want to jump on these deals instead of waiting to the last minute and scrambling to make it all happen.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

Sporting News ranks Ohio State football schedule

Sporting News ranks Ohio State scheduled seventh hardest in Big Ten #GoBucks

The always awesome Bill Bender of The Sporting News, released a piece ranking all 18 of the Big Ten schools by strength of schedule recently, and as expected, Ohio State landed in the middle of the pack. The Buckeyes’ schedule was ranked seventh by the media outlet’s metrics and this feels accurate at first glance.

Bender lists out his criteria for toughness including ranked opponents and location of the games. Although I would have added a few more factors, the list feels fairly accurate. As most have discussed all offseason, Ohio State came out very lucky with the scheduling with only three marquis games for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State has to play Oregon and Penn State in enemy territory, but gets Michigan at home and with the expanded playoffs, the Buckeyes can realistically lose two of these games and still sneak in. This really does feel like an “If not now, then when” type of season for Ryan Day.

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Game times set for two more Ohio State football contests this fall

Some OSU football game times for your planning consideration. #GoBucks

The Ohio State football schedule for 2024 is starting to round into shape. Not the opponents of course, we’ve known those for awhile, but we’re starting to get game times and network assignments for some of the contests we’ll see this fall.

We were already made aware of the game time for the Michigan tussle at the end of the regular season. And now, thanks to a release from the Ohio State Department of Athletics on Thursday, we know when the Buckeyes will kick things off against Akron and Western Michigan on the front end of the schedule.

If you remember — or are just hearing it for the first time — OSU kicks the season off at home on August 31 against in-state foe, Akron, and it now looks like that game time will be 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. Thankfully, it’s not yet another noon game (thanks Fox).

In addition to that, we’ve got some positive news on the Western Michigan game, because you’ll get to take that one in as a night game the following week, with things getting underway at 7:30 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network.

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So, there you have it. If you were waiting to potentially schedule those weddings, barmitzvahs, or reunions this fall, you now have some parameters to go by.

The season can’t get here soon enough.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

Ohio State football future Big Ten opponents announced for 2024 through 2028

We now know the home and away opponents for Ohio State with the additions of all of the West Coast teams thanks to a release from the Big Ten today. #GoBucks

It feels like we’ve been here before in a bit of a Big Ten football Déjà vu. In fact, earlier this year, the conference announced the scheduling model and opponents for the expanded Big Ten that involved the additions of UCLA and USC. It was no doubt a painstaking and labor intensive process to align things across the span of the entire country.

But then it was all ripped up, placed in a virtual trash compactor, and spit out with the garbage when Oregon and Washington added to the chaos by also joining the Big Ten. And since that news came with the revelation that all four West Coast schools would be starting conference play in 2024, we knew the schedulers would have to sharpen their pencils and learn to persevere for another schedule dump sooner rather than later.

On Thursday, we got our first taste of that when the Big Ten announced the home and away conference opponents in football for the 2024 through 2028 seasons. The scheduling model that all of this bruhaha is being called now is the “Flex Protect XVIII model.”

No, it’s not an insurance policy like it sounds, but rather, a rotation of scheduling that involves each Big Ten institution continuing to play nine intraconference games per season, with teams playing every other conference opponent at least twice – once home and once away. Each program will play rotating opponents no more than three times in a five-year period.

With the dropping of these opponents, we now know who and when Ohio State will be playing over the next five years, and it’s intriguing if you are into traveling and/or welcoming new teams to the banks of the Olentangy. It should also be noted that the complete 2024 schedule will come out either later this month or in November. The only team the Buckeyes will play annually will be of course Michigan to preserve the annual rivalry.

Outside of that, Ohio State will face Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue and Rutgers three times, and will play against Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, UCLA, USC, Washington and Wisconsin twice.

Here’s a look at who the Buckeyes will play both home and away each year, but first some things to keep in mind about how the Big Ten went about coming up with this schedule.

ESPN predicts each 2023 Ohio State football game using its FPI matchup predictor

Hmmm. What do you think of what ESPN says about each OSU football game this fall? #GoBucks

It’s clearly not an exact science, but if you’ve followed us at all, you know we like to check in from time to time during the season to see how Ohio State football’s performance on the field affects ESPN’s matchup predictor.

And while we’ll continue to do that, there’s a point in time in which ESPN first drops the widgets in the machine during the preseason to give us a first look at what OSU’s season projects to be.

That moment has come.

ESPN has used its Football Power Index to predict the percentage chances of teams winning each game during the 2023 season, and we are particularly interested in the schedule that’s colored scarlet and gray.

The Buckeyes will be playing 12 regular season games this fall — and we of course hope there are more — but only half of those are at home this year. OSU also has a rather tough schedule all while ushering in a new starting quarterback.

Does the ESPN computer think Ohio State will run the table? Which games are expected to be close, and what about the contest against Michigan? Can Penn State get over the hump? Here’s a look at ESPN’s game-by-game prediction on the probability of OSU winning each game in 2023, and a running record if the results hold.

USC football 2025 schedule, with all 12 opponents confirmed

Naturally, our first focus was on the 2024 #USC football schedule, but don’t worry: The 2025 list of opponents is also set:

The 2024 USC football schedule has plenty of big games. The Trojans host both Michigan and Wisconsin at the Los Angeles Coliseum. USC also hosts Notre Dame on Thanksgiving weekend. USC plays LSU in Week 1 in Las Vegas in a massive nonconference showdown. That will be the highlight of Labor Day weekend next year. There is so much to look forward to on the 2024 slate, and we’re all going to relish those huge games one year from now. However, there is also a 2025 schedule to consider. That schedule is also set, at least in terms of the 12 opponents USC will play.

The times and dates have not yet been announced for most of these games, but all 12 USC foes are locked in for the 2025 college football season.

Here is USC’s complete 2025 football schedule:

Ohio State football announces minor updates to future schedules

Mark your calendars! #GoBucks

It’s deep into the offseason for the Ohio State football program, but the news cycle continues to churn. On Wednesday, the OSU Department of Athletics released information on some updates to future schedules.

The Buckeyes scheduled three nonconference games beginning with a contest against Marshall on September 21, 2024. OSU also added a game against Nevada on September 1, 2029, and one vs. Charlotte a week later on September 8, 2029. All three contests will be in Columbus inside Ohio Stadium.

In addition to the added games to the schedule, one of the already planned games has been rescheduled. The tussle with Western Michigan at home, originally scheduled for September 27, 2024, has been moved up to September 7.

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Nothing communicated has any impact on the upcoming 2023 season, but be sure to plan accordingly if you are one of those that has vacation or wedding plans as far out as the fall of 2024.

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Ohio State football cancels series with Washington

A scheduling note … #GoBucks

If you were looking forward to traveling to Seattle to catch Ohio State playing Washington, you’ll have to adjust your thinking. The Ohio State football program has canceled the home-and-home series with the Washington Huskies set to take place in 2024 and 2025 according to a release from the athletics department on Wednesday.

“We initiated the cancellation,” Gene Smith, senior vice president and Wolfe Foundation endowed athletic director, said in the release. “I have the utmost respect for the University of Washington and for Director of Athletics Jennifer Cohen, and this was a very difficult call to make.

“Consistent with terms of the contract, we will be responsible for the $500,000 cancellation penalty that has to be paid by February 2025. As a result of the cancellation, we will add an eighth home game for the 2024 season, affording us the opportunity to have the funding to pay the penalty and guarantee for that eighth opponent.”

On the outside, this appears to be a decision centered around the pocketbook. OSU only has six home games scheduled for 2023, and that raises some funding concerns for a program that uses football to fund many of its other sports. Ohio State was scheduled for seven home games in 2024, and the cancellation of the road game at Washington will allow the Buckeyes additional gate and concessions revenue to make up for the fewer games in the ‘Shoe this upcoming season.

Since the Huskies were scheduled to come to Ohio Stadium in 2025, the program will still have seven home games on the docket that season. No future opponents for those two home dates have been announced, but that nonconference home game in 2024 will be either Sept. 7 or Sept. 14, and the date in 2025 will land on either Sept. 6 or Sept. 13.

As an added note, the 2024 schedule will be the first in which USC and UCLA will be a part of the Big Ten, so there’s a decent chance the Buckeyes will welcome one of those teams or make a trip to Southern California to play one of those two new members. Also, the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff is set to begin in 2024, so there are a lot of things happening after this season that we’ll all be along for the ride on.

Buckle up.

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