Ohio State Buckeyes Set Non-Conference Schedule Through 2028
Mark your calendar, Buckeye Nation, the Ohio State Buckeyes have set their non-conference schedule through 2028, the athletics department announced Thursday.
Ohio State added New Hampshire, the alma mater of Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day, Sept. 11, 2027, and Northern Illinois Sept. 16, 2028, for matchups that come before and after playing Alabama, respectively, as part of one of two massive home-and-home series scheduled in the next five seasons.
Ohio State will host Texas Aug. 30, 2025, before traveling to Austin for the return game against the Longhorns Sept. 12, 2026.
The Buckeyes play a Mid-American Conference opponent in each of the next five seasons: Western Michigan in 2024, Ohio in 2025, Ball State and Kent State in 2026, Bowling Green in 2027 and Buffalo and Northern Illinois in 2028.
Ohio State's matchups against Southern Mississippi, UConn, Ball State, and New Hampshire will be the first-ever head-to-head matchups between the programs.
The Buckeyes' scheduling is interesting for the 2025 season, as they have non-conference games scheduled against Texas Aug. 30, Ohio Sept. 13 and UConn Oct. 18.
Ohio State has traditionally only had one conference game, if any, that breaks up its non-conference slate. However, the Buckeyes will have a week in between their matchups against Texas and Ohio and four weeks between playing the Bobcats and Huskies.
The 2025 season will be the first that Ohio State has played a regular-season non-conference game in October or later since 2009 when it faced New Mexico State Oct. 31. The Buckeyes beat the Aggies 45-0.
Beyond 2028, Ohio State has tentative non-conference home-and-home series scheduled against Georgia in 2030-31 and Boston College in 2035-36. The Buckeyes had a home-and-home series against Oregon in 2032-33, but the dates will potentially be adjusted now that that will be a Big Ten conference game.
2024
Aug. 31 vs. Southern Mississippi
Sept. 7 vs. Western Michigan
Sept. 21 vs. Marshall
2025
Aug. 30 vs. Texas
Sept. 13 vs. Ohio
Oct. 18 vs. UConn
2026
Sept. 5 vs. Ball State
Sept. 12 at Texas
Sept. 19 vs. Kent State
2027
Sept. 4 vs. Bowling Green
Sept. 11 vs. New Hampshire
Sept. 18 vs. Alabama
2028
Sept. 2 vs. Buffalo
Sept. 9 at Alabama
Sept. 16 vs. Northern Illinois
