Buckeyes cancel 2024 opener opponent, replace it with in-state opponent
COLUMBUS — Ohio State has canceled its 2024 season opener against Southern Miss. Instead, the Buckeyes will take on Akron in the season-opening matchup on Aug. 31.
The Buckeyes haven’t lost to an in-state school since the 19th century.
This comes after Ohio State already was set for a MAC game on Sept. 7 against Western Michigan. Now the Buckeyes will open with back-to-back MAC opponents as part of a three-game nonconference slate that also includes Marshall on Sept. 14.
Ohio State 2024 schedule details
Ohio State already knew the opponents, both at home and on the road, for the 2024 slate. The Big Ten released those last month.
Now, however, the Buckeyes know when those games will happen. The Big Ten released its full slate, complete with the dates of all games, for the 2024 schedule on Thursday afternoon.
Ohio State will have two idle weeks next season, one in September and one in October. The Buckeyes will open their Big Ten slate on Sept. 28 at Michigan State, which will likely have a new coach.
From there, the Buckeyes will return home to face Iowa in the first weekend of October before hitting the West Coast for a road trip to Big Ten newcomer Oregon on Oct. 12. They’ll then have a second idle week of the season before facing Nebraska at home on Oct. 26.
Ohio State opens November with a road trip to Penn State before hosting Purdue and traveling to Northwestern and hosting Indiana the week before the rivalry game.
The Game will be a home game on Nov. 30. It’ll be the first time Michigan comes to the Horseshoe since taking down the Buckeyes inside Ohio Stadium last November.
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Nonconference games will be completed before the Buckeyes dive into Big Ten play, meaning the final nine games of the season will all be conference games. They’ll open the season with three straight games in the Horseshoe: Aug. 31 against Akron, Sept. 7 against Western Michigan and Sept. 21 against Marshall.
Of course, the 2024 season is the first year of the division-less Big Ten structure after the addition of four new West Coast teams. It’s also the first year of the 12-team playoff after a decade of a four-team postseason format.
The full 2024 slate for Ohio State can be found below. Game times and TV networks will not be announced until next year, although some of them are released throughout the offseason.
2024 Ohio State Football Schedule
Aug. 31 – Akron
Sept. 7 – Western Michigan
Sept. 14 – Idle
Sept. 21 – Marshall
Sept. 28 – at Michigan State
Oct. 5 – Iowa
Oct. 12 – at Oregon
Oct. 19 – Idle
Oct. 26 – Nebraska
Nov. 2 – at Penn State
Nov. 9 – Purdue
Nov. 16 – at Northwestern
Nov. 23 – Indiana
Nov. 30 – Michigan
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