The Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan State Spartans will face off this weekend in front of a primetime crowd at Ohio Stadium.
It’s the first home night game since Baker Mayfield and the Oklahoma Sooners came to town for the 2017 home opener.
Since then, OSU has played eight night games on the road and at neutral sites, but none in Columbus. The combination of the team’s almost unprecedented start to the season, coupled with a decent opponent, and a long day of tailgating should create a great atmosphere inside the Horseshoe.
OSU is asking fans to wear black to the game to match the team’s black alternate uniforms.
Here’s everything you need to know to enjoy Ohio State vs. Michigan State.
Kickoff Time
The game kicks off Saturday, October 5 at 7:44 pm Eastern.
TV & Streaming
You can watch the game on ABC, or stream it via the WatchESPN app. Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Maria Taylor are on the call.
Radio
The game will be carried live on the Ohio State Football Radio Network. Find your local Ohio State Football radio station here.
Weather
The high for Saturday is “actual October weather” which should be a delight.
The forecast is calling for a high of 71 and a low of 48. So expect temperatures in the mid-to-high 60s at kickoff and dropping a little throughout the evening.
It’s supposed to be mostly sunny during the day with a light breeze and a 20 percent chance of rain.
You can find an updated weekend forecast for the OSU campus area here.
Point Spread
The Buckeyes are a 20.5-point favorite against the Spartans. The Over/Under for the game is 50.5.
If you want to combine those numbers, that means Vegas is expecting something in the neighborhood of a 36-14 win for Ohio State.
Tickets
As almost always these days, tickets are plentiful for this weekend.
The “get in” price is sitting around $140 as of Tuesday evening. You can score a seat on the 50 in A deck for around $350 per ticket.
As always, those prices are likely to drop as game day gets closer.
A word of warning if you go the old-fashioned route and scalp a seat outside the Horseshoe: OSU has reported a big increase in fakes, especially with “print at home” tickets.
They suggest you only buy tickets through Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office, Ticketmaster, and Buckeyes Ticket Exchange.
Gates at Ohio Stadium open at 5:30 pm, two hours prior to kickoff.
Ohio Stadium Bag Policy
You may not bring bags or purses of any size into Ohio Stadium. According to OSU’s website, “Wallets and wristlets no larger than 5”x8”x1” are permitted. All items and persons entering Ohio Stadium are subject to security screening and inspection.” You can find the complete bag policy here.
In-Stadium WiFi
The athletic department has installed more than 2,000 access points and 4,000 antennas throughout Ohio Stadium this offseason to accommodate the crush of data traffic that accompanies 100,000 people all trying to post selfies or shaky highlight videos on social media simultaneously.
Just log into the OSUFanWiFi network when you get to the stadium. There is no password needed to join.
You can find more information about the new WiFi here.
Skull Session
The band’s traditional pregame warmup concert starts at 5:30 pm in St. John Arena. Doors at St. John open two hours prior to the start of Skull Session, at 3:30 pm.
Parking
Lots surrounding the stadium and St. John Arena are restricted to permit holders only. Parking in other campus lots, such as on West Campus, is available for $20 per car. Current A, B, and C parking pass holders can park in those lots for free.
You can find a complete map of Ohio State gameday parking here.
You can find a map of ADA-accessible gameday parking here.
Have Other Questions?
You can find the official Ohio Stadium A-Z Guide here. If it’s not answered somewhere in there, it’s probably not an important question.
