Ohio State’s 2026 Schedule Includes Three Straight Games vs. Indiana, USC and Oregon, Season Finale vs. Michigan
Ohio State’s full schedule for the 2026 football season was revealed on Tuesday.
After starting their season with a trio of non-conference games against Ball State, Texas and Kent State, Ohio State will begin Big Ten play with a home game against Illinois and a road game against Iowa. The Buckeyes will then host Maryland before traveling to Indiana for a rematch of last year’s Big Ten Championship Game on Oct. 17 in Bloomington.
Ohio State will have its only bye week of the 2026 season following the Indiana game before going back on the road to face USC on Halloween. The Buckeyes will start November with home games against Oregon and Northwestern, then play their final road game of the regular season at Nebraska before concluding their regular-season schedule with their rivalry game vs. Michigan on Nov. 28.
Kickoff times and TV networks have not yet been announced for the 2026 season, though it can be assumed that the Ohio State vs. Michigan game will be a noon game on FOX, as it has been ever since FOX became the Big Ten’s primary TV partner in 2017.
Ohio State’s 2026 Football Schedule
Date
Opponent
Location
Sat, Sept. 5
Ball State
Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
Sat, Sept. 12
Texas
Darrell K. Royal Stadium (Austin, Texas)
Sat, Sept. 19
Kent State
Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
Sat, Sept. 26
Illinois
Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
Sat, Oct. 3
Iowa
Kinnick Stadium (Iowa City, Iowa)
Sat, Oct. 10
Maryland
Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
Sat, Oct. 17
Indiana
Memorial Stadium (Bloomington, Indiana)
Sat, Oct. 24
OFF WEEK
Sat, Oct. 31
USC
L.A. Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles, California)
Sat, Nov. 7
Oregon
Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
Sat, Nov. 14
Northwestern
Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
Sat, Nov. 21
Nebraska
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Nebraska)
Sat, Nov. 28
Michigan
Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
The Buckeyes’ schedule projects as one of the most challenging schedules in the entire country. Per On3’s composite of nine early preseason rankings from national media outlets, Ohio State – which is ranked as the No. 1 team in the country – is set to face the No. 2 (Indiana), No. 3 (Texas), No. 5 (Oregon), No. 14 (Michigan), No. 15 (USC) and No. 21 (Iowa) teams in 2026, with four of those games coming on the road.
