Ohio State Football Future Schedules: Complete Look from 2026 Through 2036

Ohio State’s football schedules are locked in for the next several years, giving fans a clear picture of the challenges and high-profile matchups ahead. Below is a complete breakdown of the announced schedules beginning with the full 2026 slate and continuing through the early 2030s.

2026 Ohio State Football Schedule

The Buckeyes open the 2026 season with a manageable non-conference slate before diving into a demanding Big Ten schedule that includes several ranked opponents.

• Sat., Sept. 5 – Ball State (Ohio Stadium)
• Sat., Sept. 12 – at Texas (Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium)
• Sat., Sept. 19 – Kent State (Ohio Stadium)
• Sat., Sept. 26 – Illinois (Ohio Stadium)
• Sat., Oct. 3 – at Iowa (Kinnick Stadium)
• Sat., Oct. 10 – Maryland (Ohio Stadium)
• Sat., Oct. 17 – at Indiana (Memorial Stadium)
• Sat., Oct. 24 – Bye
• Sat., Oct. 31 – at USC (Los Angeles)
• Sat., Nov. 7 – Oregon (Ohio Stadium)
• Sat., Nov. 14 – Northwestern (Ohio Stadium)
• Sat., Nov. 21 – at Nebraska (Memorial Stadium)
• Sat., Nov. 28 – Michigan (Ohio Stadium)

Key Takeaways for 2026: Ohio State travels to Texas in Week 2 for a high-profile non-conference game. The Big Ten slate features road games at Iowa, Indiana, USC, and Nebraska, plus home matchups against Illinois, Maryland, Oregon, Northwestern, and Michigan. The Buckeyes will host The Game in Columbus.

2027 Ohio State Football Schedule

• Sat., Sept. 4 – Bowling Green (Ohio Stadium)
• Sat., Sept. 11 – New Hampshire (Ohio Stadium)
• Sat., Sept. 18 – Alabama (Ohio Stadium)
• Michigan State (Ohio Stadium)
• Nebraska (Ohio Stadium)
• Purdue (Ohio Stadium)
• USC (Ohio Stadium)
• Michigan (Michigan Stadium – Ann Arbor)
• Minnesota (TCF Bank Stadium – Minneapolis)
• Northwestern (Ryan Field – Evanston)
• Oregon (Autzen Stadium – Eugene)
• Rutgers (SHI Stadium – Piscataway)

Key Takeaways for 2027: Ohio State hosts Alabama in a marquee September home game. Road tests include Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Oregon, and Rutgers. USC visits Columbus.

2028 Ohio State Football Schedule

• Sat., Sept. 2 – Buffalo (Ohio Stadium)
• Sat., Sept. 9 – at Alabama (Bryant-Denny Stadium – Tuscaloosa)
• Sat., Sept. 16 – Northern Illinois (Ohio Stadium)
• Michigan (Ohio Stadium)
• Minnesota (Ohio Stadium)
• Rutgers (Ohio Stadium)
• Washington (Ohio Stadium)
• Wisconsin (Ohio Stadium)
• Maryland (Maryland Stadium – College Park)
• Illinois (Memorial Stadium – Champaign)
• Penn State (Beaver Stadium – University Park)
• UCLA (Rose Bowl – Pasadena)

Key Takeaways for 2028: The return game at Alabama headlines the non-conference slate. Ohio State hosts Michigan at home and faces difficult road games at Penn State, Illinois, Maryland, and UCLA in the Rose Bowl.

2029 Ohio State Football Schedule (Early Look)

• Sat., Sept. 1 – Navy (Ohio Stadium)
• Sat., Sept. 8 – Charlotte (Ohio Stadium)
• Sat., Sept. 15 – Youngstown State (Ohio Stadium)

Big Ten opponents for 2029 have not yet been fully announced.

2030 Ohio State Football Schedule (Early Look)

• Sat., Aug. 31 – TBD
• Sat., Sept. 7 – Nevada (Ohio Stadium)
• Sat., Sept. 14 – at Georgia (Sanford Stadium – Athens)

2031 Ohio State Football Schedule (Early Look)

• Sat., Aug. 30 – Georgia (Ohio Stadium)

This completes the home-and-home series with Georgia that begins in 2030.

Longer-Term Non-Conference Games

• 2035 – Boston College (Ohio Stadium) – Sat., Sept. 15
• 2036 – at Boston College (Alumni Stadium – Chestnut Hill) – Sat., Sept. 13

What Ohio State Fans Should Circle

Several major themes stand out across the announced schedules:

• Alabama Series: Home in 2027, road in 2028.
• Georgia Series: Road in 2030, home in 2031.
• 2026 Highlights: Road game at Texas, home games against Oregon and Michigan, plus trips to Indiana and USC.
• Major Future Road Challenges: Oregon (2027),
  Penn State (2028), UCLA at the Rose Bowl (2028),
  and Georgia (2030).
• Attractive Home Games: Alabama (2027),
  USC (2027),
  Michigan (2028),
  Washington (2028),
  and Georgia (2031).

Ohio State continues to balance winnable non-conference games with high-level Power conference opponents. The combination of Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, Penn State, USC, and the annual Michigan rivalry gives the Buckeyes a nationally relevant and challenging slate for years to come.

As additional Big Ten pairings are finalized, the schedules will become even more complete. For now, these announced games give fans plenty of dates to mark on the calendar.