The countdown to kickoff for the 2019 Ohio State football season is officially on. Now we know exactly when it’s going to happen.
The Buckeyes will kick off against Florida Atlantic at noon on August 31. That game will be televised by FOX.
So if you’re extremely interested in a precise number: As of 1:00 pm on Thursday, May 30, the first OSU game will start in exactly 92 days, 23 hours.
That’s the first of a number of noon kickoffs for this fall.
The week two game against Luke Fickell and Cincinnati will be a noon kick, as will the September 14 game at Indiana.
The regular season finale against Michigan is back as a traditional noon kick.
The Buckeyes will play at least two night games this year. One is at home against Michigan State at 7:30 pm on October 5.
The other is a Friday night game at Northwestern at 8:30 pm Eastern on October 18.
You can find a full rundown of the 2019 Ohio State football schedule here, including all known kickoff times and TV listings.
The full release from Ohio State is below.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Television carriers and game times for six Ohio State Buckeye football games this season have been announced by the networks and the Big Ten Conference, including noon starts for the first three games of the season and the season finale at Michigan, and a 7:30 p.m. kickoff for the Oct. 5 homecoming game against Michigan State.
The network carrier breakdown is three games on FOX, one on FS1, one on ABC, and one to be broadcast on either ABC or ESPN.
The 130th season of Ohio State football will kick off Aug. 31 at Ohio Stadium against Florida Atlantic at noon. FOX will televise.
ABC will televise the in-state rivalry game Week 2 against a Cincinnati team that is coming off an 11-win season and is coached by Ohio State great and longtime Buckeye assistant, Luke Fickell. Start time is also set for noon.
Ohio State will be back on FOX Sept. 14 at Indiana (a noon kick) and also for the regular season finale Nov. 30 at Michigan with its traditional noon start time.
The Michigan State game will be televised on ABC/ESPN and start at 7:30 p.m.
Friday night lights
The first Friday night game for Ohio State since the Big Ten Conference’s decision in 2016 to begin playing some games on Friday night will take place Oct. 18 in Evanston, Ill., against Northwestern. FS1 will carry the game and it will start at 8:30 p.m. EDT (7:30 p.m. local time).
Additional start times will be released during the season in the six- and 12-day window protocol that has been typically used by the networks.
2019 Ohio State Schedule
All times EDT
Aug. 31 – Florida Atlantic – Noon on FOX (Faculty & Staff and Alumni Band game)
Sept. 7 – Cincinnati – Noon on ABC (Hall of Fame game)
Sept. 14 – at Indiana – Noon on FOX
Sept. 21 – Miami (Ohio) – (Scarlet & Gray and Buckeyes Care game)
Sept. 28 – at Nebraska
Oct. 5 – Michigan State – 7:30 p.m. on ABC/ESPN (Homecoming game)
Oct. 12 – Off
Oct. 18 – at Northwestern – 8:30 p.m. on FS1
Oct. 26 – Wisconsin – (Buckeye Club game)
Nov. 2 – Off
Nov. 9 – Maryland (Military Appreciation game)
Nov. 16 – at Rutgers
Nov. 23 – Penn State (Senior Day)
Nov. 30 – at Michigan – Noon on FOX
Dec. 7 – Big Ten Championship Game
So far, four lousy noon games, two bye weeks and a ridiculously annoying, sign of the times game on FRIDAY NIGHT…..add in games against Miami of Ohio, Maryland and Rutgers and I don’t see much to get excited about other than it’s Buckeye football.