Ohio State Replaces UW with Marshall on 2024 Football Schedule
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In 17 months, the University of Washington football team was supposed to host Ohio State, in a matchup between the realigned Pac-12 and the new Big Ten.
The Buckeyes, of course, canceled that home-and-home series with the Huskies and this week filled the 2024 date with a game against Marshall in Columbus.
Meantime, the UW still has an unfilled weekend on Sept. 21 for a non-conference game, last believed to be negotiating with new Big 12 member Houston to come to Seattle next year followed by a Husky 2025 visit to the Astrodome.
Clearly, Ohio State wanted no part of a football game against coach Kalen DeBoer and the rejuvenated Huskies in the near future.
With no explanation given for the cancellation, some suggested the addition of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten in 2024 meant the Buckeyes might have to take two trips in one season to the West Coast and they wanted no part of that logistical, financial and competitive stress.
Others said the Midwest powerhouse preferred to water down its non-conference schedule in order to have a better chance of qualifying for a new and expanded 12-team College Football Playoff that begins operation in 2024.
Either way, the scheduling move still proves expensive for the Buckeyes, who will pay the UW $500,000 for leaving the Huskies high and dry without a game and another $1.6 million to Marshall for playing in Columbus.
Ohio State also had to ask Western Michigan to move from its 2024 Columbus visit from Sept. 21 to Sept. 7 to make this all work.
Marshall of Conference USA still is no slouch. The Thundering Herd come off a 9-4 season in which they upset Notre Dame 26-21 in South Bend and finished up with a 28-14 victory in the Myrtle Beach Bowl over UConn and coach Jim Mora, the former UW linebacker and Seahawks football coach.
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