Ohio State football: Early look at the non-conference schedule

There was no non-conference schedule last year for the Ohio State football team.  There will be one in 2021. How does that look right now for the Buckeyes?

2020 took a lot from all of us. One of the things it took away from the Ohio State football team was non-conference games. Originally, they were slated to play Bowling Green and Buffalo at home while traveling to Eugene to face Oregon on the road.

Unfortunately, none of those games took place. The Oregon game was slated to be a big-time matchup between two powerhouse teams. It was supposed to be a re-match of the 2014 National Championship. That game never happened though.

It is slated to happen in 2021. Oregon is scheduled to travel to Columbus to face the Buckeyes on September 11th for the Buckeyes’ first non-conference game of the season. That game will look to be one of the toughest games Ohio State will play all season long.

Oregon is the defending Pac-12 champs, beating USC 31-24 this past season for that title. They return some good weapons on offense but do lose their best offensive lineman in Penei Sewell. That will make life hard for them against an elite Buckeye defensive line.

The biggest question of that game will be the addition of fans. If fans are permitted, that gives Ohio State a massive advantage. That of course is up in the air right now. It would be the second-biggest game played at the Shoe in 2021, besides the Penn State game on Senior Night.

The other two non-conference games are Tulsa and Akron. Neither of those games should cause any issues with the Buckeyes. The big one is obviously the Oregon game. That’s the one that fans are looking most forward to because it will be the first home game.

Not only will it be the first home game, but possibly the first game that fans are allowed to watch since the 2019 season. It will be a big-time matchup and could be a big-time atmosphere.