Ohio State vs. Alabama Series Update Puts Cancellation Speculation to Rest

The football series between Ohio State and Alabama received a positive update on Thursday, putting to rest any speculation about cancellation.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day walks to the field during the Ohio State football spring game at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, April 18, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. | Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State is eagerly anticipating its SEC matchup against Texas in Week 2 this season, but it's never too early to start thinking about next year's clash with Alabama.

The Buckeyes and the Crimson Tide have scheduled a home-and-home series for the 2027 and 2028 seasons. The matchup will kick off at Ohio State next year, followed by a trip to Alabama the following season.

There was speculation that the series might not take place and Alabama would cancel the game due to questions in the program, such as whether the Crimson Tide is good enough to defeat the Buckeyes, with their head coach Kalen DeBoer potentially on the hot seat.

On Thursday, Brett McMurphy of On3.com reported that the matchup between Ohio State and Alabama will proceed, as the Crimson Tide has decided to cancel its series with Oklahoma State instead.

NEW: Alabama will keep its 2027-28 home-and-home series with Ohio State,  @Brett_McMurphy reports.

The Crimson Tide has canceled its series with Oklahoma State. https://t.co/pvDFzl45G5 pic.twitter.com/mf8ln2mrA7

— On3 (@On3) May 7, 2026

Why Alabama was thinking about canceling the series with Ohio State

Ohio State faced Texas in the opening week of last season and secured the win. Yet, that game didn’t impact the Buckeyes' playoff standings as significantly as it did the Longhorns'.

Texas ultimately missed the playoffs after suffering three losses: one to Ohio State, another to Florida and a third to Georgia. Many fans speculate that if it had faced a Power Four team like Rutgers instead of Ohio State, it could have secured an easier win. With that victory, the Longhorns likely would have finished with 10 wins and a stronger chance of making the playoffs.

Alabama, which made the playoffs last season under DeBoer in his second year, might have been considering how Texas struggled to get in the playoffs after its loss to Ohio State. It might have been thought that avoiding the Buckeyes would give it a better chance of winning against a more manageable Power Four opponent, and even ESPN's Paul Finebaum thought Alabama would cancel the game.

“I sincerely doubt the Alabama game is going to happen based on what I’ve heard from Alabama’s AD,” Finebaum said back in February via Buckeyes Wire Griffin Dreifaldt. “He’s got a shaky situation there anyway with a coach that is in trouble.”

It's great for college football that Alabama and Ohio State are still set to face off in this series, since big-time non-conference matchups at the beginning of the regular season really help kick off the year and get everyone excited for the season.