Buckeyes add pair of opponents to future nonconference schedules
COLUMBUS — Ohio State has finalized its nonconference scheduling through the 2028 season.
The Buckeyes announced two nonconference home games, one in 2027 and one in 2028, to fill all available slots through the 2028 season. Ohio State will host New Hampshire on Sept. 11, 2027 and will host Northern Illinois on Sept. 16, 2028.
The game against New Hampshire will be the first game against an FCS opponent since the Buckeyes played Youngstown State three weeks ago in the Horseshoe. It’ll be Ryan Day‘s second time facing an FCS opponent in his Ohio State tenure.
Of course, the matchup against New Hampshire in 2027 will be extra special for Day, a New Hampshire native who played quarterback for the Wildcats from 1998-2001 under current UCLA head coach Chip Kelly. Day was also the tight ends coach at New Hampshire in 2002, his first job as a coach following his playing career.
That game against New Hampshire is part of a three-game nonconference slate that also includes home games against Bowling Green (Sept. 4) and Alabama (Sept. 18).
The following year, Ohio State will host Buffalo in Week 1 and Northern Illinois in Week 2 before traveling to Alabama in Week 3 for a massive SEC vs. Big Ten showdown.
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Ohio State last faced Northern Illinois in 2015, a closer than expected 20-13 Buckeyes win.
These nonconference games will all come after the expansion of the College Football Playoff, which is expanding from four teams to 12 beginning in the 2024 season. They also will come in an expanded Big Ten, which will be adding Oregon, Washington, Southern California and UCLA beginning in the 2024 season.
The Big Ten schedule for each of the next five seasons, which will feature 18 conference members. With the new league members, the Big Ten is scrapping divisions and setting up a new scheduling model beginning in the 2024 and 2025 football seasons.
The full slate of future Ohio State nonconference opponents can be found below.
Future Ohio State nonconference schedules
2024 Ohio State nonconference Schedule
Aug. 31 – Southern Mississippi
Sept. 7 – Western Michigan
Sept. 21 – Marshall
2025 Buckeyes nonconference Schedule
Aug. 30 – Texas
Sept. 13 – Ohio
Oct. 18 – UConn
2026 Ohio State nonconference Schedule
Sept. 5 – Ball State
Sept. 12 – at Texas
Sept. 19 – Kent State
2027 Buckeyes nonconference Schedule
Sept. 4 – Bowling Green
Sept. 11 – New Hampshire
Sept. 18 – Alabama
2028 Ohio State nonconference Schedule
Sept. 2 – Buffalo
Sept. 9 – at Alabama
Sept. 16 – Northern Illinois
