Ohio State will play Georgia in football in 2030 and 2031
![Ohio State Buckeyes take to the field as fireworks go off at Ohio Stadium before the game against Michigan State Spartans in Columbus, Ohio on October 5, 2019. [Kyle Robertson/Dispatch]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/2019/11/07/NBUX/ghows-OH-96b98afd-5a2e-6cd3-e053-0100007f2798-e046b916.jpeg?width=660&height=426&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
For years, Ohio State fans have wanted the Buckeyes to play a regular-season football game against a marquee Southeastern Conference team.
It is going to happen, though not for a while.
Ohio State will play a home-and-home series against Georgia in 2030 and 2031.
The Buckeyes will play in Athens, Georgia, on Sept. 14, 2030. The Bulldogs will come to Columbus on Aug. 30, 2031.
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“Our fans have asked for SEC opponents, and we want to create these impactful contests,” Ohio State deputy director of athletics Diana Sabau told The Dispatch.
The programs agreed to have Georgia host the first game because Ohio State needs a seventh home game in 2031. The Buckeyes play at Michigan in odd-numbered years and need a seventh home game for revenue purposes in years when they don’t play the Wolverines in Columbus.
It has been more than three decades since Ohio State played an SEC team in the regular season. The Buckeyes tied LSU 13-13 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1987 and defeated the Tigers 36-33 at Ohio Stadium in 1988.
Ohio State and Georgia have played only once. The Bulldogs won the 1993 Florida Citrus Bowl 21-14 in Orlando, Florida.
“It’s been my charge to make sure we’re providing strong opponents for our football team to showcase our talents and then opponents that our fans have been clamoring for,” Sabau said.
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