COLUMBUS — The Big Ten conference announced its plans for a 2020 Football season and a conference schedule on Wednesday morning.
Included in that announcement was Ohio State’s new schedule for this upcoming season.
You can read the full release and view the new schedule below.
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Ohio State’s 2020 Football Schedule Announced
First Big Ten Conference-only schedule kicks off Thursday, Sept. 3 at Illinois
Columbus, Ohio – In the event that the Big Ten Conference and its member schools are able to hold an athletics season this year, the Conference released its restructured 2020 football schedule today with a 10th conference game added for all schools amid a season that would extend from as early as Sept. 3 through games of Nov. 21. Ohio State would kick off the Big Ten’s first-ever conference-only campaign on Thursday, Sept. 3, against Illinois in Champaign, Ill.
Each Big Ten school would have five home games and five road games during a season that would be dramatically modified because of the ongoing and uncertain COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, each school has two off or open weekends that can possibly be used as make-up dates for games that are postponed during the season because of circumstances caused by the pandemic.
“This is not a final decision that there will be an athletics season; it is the next phase in our responsible planning process with the Big Ten Conference to be prepared if we are able to have an athletics season,” Ohio State Athletics Director Gene Smith said. “The final decision will be made in the coming weeks in consultation with local, state and federal authorities.”
Non-conference games against Bowling Green, Oregon and Buffalo have already been cancelled while the nine Big Ten opponents previously on the Ohio State schedule remain. The 10th conference opponent added to the schedule is a Week 3 game Sept. 19 against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.
Ohio State, in the second year of the Ryan Day coaching era, will thus navigate a 2020 schedule that includes home games against Rutgers, Indiana, Nebraska, Michigan and Iowa, and road contests at Michigan State, Penn State and Maryland, in addition to the games at Illinois and Purdue.
Ohio State’s 2020 Football Schedule
Sept. 3 – at Illinois
Sept. 12 – Rutgers
Sept. 19 – at Purdue
Sept. 26 – Indiana
Oct. 3 – Open
Oct. 10 – Nebraska
Oct. 17 – at Michigan State
Oct. 24 – Michigan
Oct. 31 – at Maryland
Nov. 7 – at Penn State
Nov. 14 – Open
Nov. 21 – Iowa
Dec. 5 – Big Ten Championship Game
Michigan in October
Some stunning news of the day, at least for traditionalists, was the moving of the Michigan game from the last weekend of the regular season, Nov. 28, to a Week 8 contest Oct. 24 at Ohio Stadium. This will be the first time since the national championship season of 1942 that Michigan will not be Ohio State’s final regular season opponent. Ohio State played Michigan on Nov. 21 in 1942 and closed the 9-1 campaign one week later against the Iowa Seahawks. Since then, the two schools had met in the teams’ final regular season game for 77 consecutive years.
Throwback Thursday
The Thursday evening opener at Illinois Sept. 3 is the fourth time in school history that Ohio State will open on a Thursday, after games in 1997 and 2010 at home against Wyoming and Marshall, respectively, and in 2017 at Indiana. Ohio State is scheduled to open the 2021 season on Thursday, Sept. 2, at Minnesota.
July 9 Big Ten Announcement
The Big Ten announced July 9 that, if the conference is able to hold fall sports based on medical advice, it will do so in a conference-only scheduling format. Sports affected are men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball. Schedule details for these other sports will be released at a later date. Decisions on other Big Ten winter and spring sports will continue to be evaluated.
According to that July 9 release, by limiting competition to other Big Ten schools the Conference “will have the greatest flexibility to adjust its own operations throughout the season and make quick decisions in real-time based on the most current evolving medical advice and the fluid nature of the pandemic.”
I agree with Ta-ta in only one respect, that is NO POLITICAL STATEMENTS ON GAME JERSEYS!
not a big fan of THE game not being the last game but looking forward to the too long-awaited revenge on Purdue and Iowa in the same season!
For decades now, I’ve been as insane a Buckeye fan as any of you. I’ve been to games in the ‘Shoe and even in the Big Hole up north.
But finding out that the NCAA is allowing woke political statements on jerseys this season is more than I can take.
I’m not about to sit by and watch 20-year-old future multi-millionaires complain about the country they have the misfortune of living in.
Anyone who feels mistreated or doesn’t like it here is free to leave.
Like I’m leaving college football.
Ta-ta.
Seems like a silly reason to quit watching football… lets see here… what other things should have been a bigger deal than words on a jersey?
1. Concussions leading to premature deaths of players
2. Players being arrested for beating their children or wives
3. Players getting caught doing PEDs
4. Terrible officiating
5. Zach Smith
Any of the reasons above should have turned you off from football more than just a couple words on a jersey. But hey… don’t let the door hit you on the way out!
Spot on, Allen.
Excuse me, but aren’t those things that tOSU rose above?
How do you rise above bureaucracy? Your turn.
As Joe Biden often says, “C’mon, Man!”
I give you exhibit A for problems with the world we live in……Rigid, closed/small minded, irrational people…..EVERYWHERE! I can think of 20 reasons to give up on football, baseball or basketball but there’s one big problem….I LOVE football, baseball and basketball. I stick to what goes on between the white lines.