When does Ohio State football have a bye week in 2026? Find out here
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The Big Ten revealed the 2026 football season schedule on Jan. 27, revealing when Ohio State has its lone bye week during the 13-week college football season.
In 2025, the FBS schedule was 14 weeks long, giving teams two weeks of rest throughout the 2026 season. The Buckeyes had bye weeks in Week 4 and Week 9 last season. One was before a road trip to Washington and one was ahead of a home game against Penn State.
The schedule was reduced to 13 weeks because the start of the season is tied to Labor Day weekend, which is at a later date (Sept. 7) in 2026 than the previous two years.
Responding to complaints about West Coast teams facing more opponents coming off bye weeks than other schools, the Big Ten formed a subcommittee of member athletic directors to develop a more balanced preparation-time strategy, according to The Mercury News.
Because of the reduced bye weeks, the number of instances in which teams are coming off byes shrinks from 36 to 18, causing less probable outcomes for imbalanced preparation.
When does Ohio State football have a bye week in 2026?
The Buckeyes have a Week 8 bye and will not play on Oct. 24. The bye week is after Ohio State’s road matchup against reigning national champion Indiana on Oct. 17.
After the bye week, Ohio State hits the West Coast to play USC on Oct. 31.
2026 Ohio State football schedule
All times TBD
- Sept. 5: vs. Ball State
- Sept. 12: at Texas
- Sept. 19: vs. Kent State
- Sept. 26: vs. Illinois
- Oct. 3: at Iowa
- Oct. 10: vs. Maryland
- Oct. 17: at Indiana
- Oct. 24: OFF
- Oct. 31: at USC
- Nov. 7: vs. Oregon
- Nov. 14: vs. Northwestern
- Nov. 21: at Nebraska
- Nov. 28: vs. Michigan
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: See Ohio State football’s 2026 bye weeks, schedule details
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