Ohio State football schedule for 2026 revealed
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The complete Ohio State football schedule for 2026 has been released.
We already knew what opponents the Buckeyes would be playing next season, but we didn't know dates or how it all lined up, aside from the nonconference part of the schedule. Until now. On Tuesday, the Big Ten Conference released a schedule for all of the teams in the league, and that means we can now start to see how — what should be a very tough slate — lays out for OSU.
OSU will open up the season against MAC opponent Ball State, then travel to Texas for the return trip of last year's game in Columbus, and then come home for some more MACtion against Kent State. From there, Big Ten play heats up when Ohio State hosts Illinois, then travels to Kinnick Stadium to play Iowa before coming back home to face Maryland. The following week is a huge clash at Indiana before Ohio State enjoys its only off week of the schedule on Oct. 24.
After a week off, the Buckeyes then get back in action by traveling to L.A. to take on USC (on Halloween, no less), then host Oregon and Northwestern in back-to-back weeks before finishing out the schedule by traveling to Nebraska and then hosting you know who to round out the schedule on the Thursday before Thanksgiving.
We don't have any kickoff times yet, but if history and tradition have their way, 'The Game' between Ohio State and Michigan in Columbus will be a Noon affair on Fox. We'll be able to confirm that when it's made official.
| Date | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Sat, Sept. 5 | Ball State | Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio) |
| Sat, Sept. 12 | Texas | Darrell K. Royal Stadium (Austin, Texas) |
| Sat, Sept. 19 | Kent State | Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio) |
| Sat, Sept. 26 | Illinois | Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio) |
| Sat, Oct. 3 | Iowa | Kinnick Stadium (Iowa City, Iowa) |
| Sat, Oct. 10 | Maryland | Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio) |
| Sat, Oct. 17 | Indiana | Memorial Stadium (Bloomington, Indiana) |
| Sat, Oct. 24 | OFF WEEK | |
| Sat, Oct. 31 | USC | L.A. Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles, California) |
| Sat, Nov. 7 | Oregon | Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio) |
| Sat, Nov. 14 | Northwestern | Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio) |
| Sat, Nov. 21 | Nebraska | Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Nebraska) |
| Sat, Nov. 28 | Michigan | Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio) |
If things hold the way we believe — unlike last season — to say that it is a challenging schedule would be an understatement. Games at Texas, Iowa, Indiana, and USC are four of the toughest road schedules you'll find anywhere. Games at home against Oregon and Michigan also figure to be challenging. Even the game against Illinois at home and on the road vs. Nebraska could prove to be more than a walk in the park.
We'll have more about the schedule from several angles through the next few days, but one thing is for certain: nobody will be claiming it's a light schedule in 2026.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: The Ohio State football schedule for 2026 has been announced
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