Home games with Indiana, Michigan highlight Ohio State's Big Ten schedule
Adam JardyOhio State’s Big Ten schedule will feature a little more pizazz in 2023-24 than it did a season ago.
After a year in which rivals Indiana and Michigan did not come to Value City Arena, the Buckeyes will play the Hoosiers and Wolverines as two of their seven double-play opponents, the Big Ten announced today. Although dates, times and broadcast information will not be known for several months, teams now know how many times they will play each league foe and where.
For the Buckeyes, that means a schedule that will see them play Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Rutgers and Wisconsin both home and away. Ohio State will not host Iowa, Michigan State and Northwestern, and it will not travel to Illinois, Maryland or Purdue.
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Owing to a 20-game conference schedule and 14 schools, each Big Ten team plays seven teams home and away, three teams at home only and the other three on the road only.
The remaining question is when the games will take place. Last year, seven of Ohio State’s 10 Big Ten games were played during the week, a fact that coach Chris Holtmann repeatedly referenced throughout the season. Ohio State was 2-1 in weekend home Big Ten games when crowds are typically larger and 2-5 during the week. Conversely, seven of Ohio State’s 10 conference road games were played during weekends.
The Buckeyes are filling in their non-conference slate as well. Ohio State will participate in the two-day Emerald Coast Classic during Thanksgiving week, opening against Alabama on Nov. 24 with a final game against either Oregon or Santa Clara. The Buckeyes will play West Virginia in Cleveland on Dec. 30 and will begin a home-and-home series with SEC foe Texas A&M by hosting the Aggies during the first week of the season. Ohio State will also participate in the CBS Sports Classic, likely against UCLA. The date and location for the annual four-team event has not yet been announced.
Also as part of the Emerald Coast Classic, Ohio State will host Western Michigan, leaving five non-conference games still to be scheduled. One of them is expected to be an in-state team from the Mid-American Conference.