Ohio State football: Should OSU schedule big non-con games?
The Ohio State football team usually likes to schedule one big non-conference game every season. Is that a smart thing to do?
The Ohio State football team and its administration have long believed in scheduling a big non-conference game for every season. Dating back to the Texas series of the mid-2000s all the way up until now with its recent series against Notre Dame. And while it’s fun for the fans and players to be a part of such a big game early on in the season, is it in Ohio State’s best interest to continue to schedule these games?
With the Washington series getting the axe for 2024 and 2025, the Buckeyes are sending a clear message that they don’t need to deal with these games anymore. As USC and UCLA are entering the Big Ten, and with games against Penn State and Michigan assured for every season, there really is no need for the Buckeyes to expose themselves early in the season.
Look at what Michigan was able to accomplish the past two seasons while playing an absolute garbage non-conference schedule. One may argue that it possibly hasn’t helped the Wolverines get ready for the playoffs, but I would come back and say that beating two very good Buckeye teams, and playing a weak non-con was not the reason for their playoff woes.
Ohio State losing to Virginia Tech in 2014 darn near cost the Buckeyes a national title. But a double-digit win last year against Notre Dame seemed to be albatross around Ohio State’s neck for some reason.
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The bottom line is that Ohio State doesn’t need these games. And with two series against Alabama and Georgia coming up for later in the decade, I wouldn’t be surprised if they get squashed long before they line up to play them.