The Ohio State football program has had issues getting night games against quality opponents. It seems that every great game they play takes place at noon, just like the Texas game did this year. The lone exception was last year's game at Oregon, which was a night game.
With FOX monopolizing most of the Buckeyes' opportunities to play night games against great teams, that leaves NBC with very few chances to showcase the Buckeyes. They have had just one home night game against a quality opponent, and that was Minnesota.
Despite that, NBC has decided to grab the Ohio State Buckeyes again for next weekend's matchup with the UCLA Bruins. That game has been announced as a 7:30 pm ET kickoff, despite the Bruins having just a 3-5 record overall. NBC still wants to showcase the Buckeyes.
Home night game for the Ohio State football team could help Julian Sayin's Heisman chances
With this game being a night game, it will give the Buckeyes an opportunity to showcase a couple of things. It will give them a chance to get recruits on campus for a visit, which is important as Signing Day gets closer. Ohio State is trying to improve its 2026 recruiting class before then.
Secondly, having Julian Sayin showcased at night could help his chances of winning the Heisman Trophy. His game against Penn State showed that he should firmly be near the top of the list for that award. Another big game against the Bruins at home in a great environment could help them.
The Buckeyes are looking to continue the warpath they have been on in the regular season. They won't truly be tested until the final regular-season game of the season against TTUN. As of now, it looks like the Buckeyes and Indiana are on a collision course for a meeting in the Big Ten Championship.