Ohio State knows only a few of its kickoff times before the season begins. The non-conference games have been settled, and The Game is always set for noon. Other than that, the Buckeyes are in the dark for the rest of the season. However, there has been some speculation about some other games.
Earlier in the summer, it was heavily implied that CBS would end up getting the Oregon game. Now, it has been confirmed that CBS will carry that November matchup. The kickoff time for Indiana has also been implied based on a television draft that occurred.
Ohio State learns the kickoff time for both Oregon and Indiana matchups
The game against the Hoosiers in Bloomington on October 17 will be a noon game, according to Scott Dochterman of The Athletic. That means it will be a Big Noon Kickoff game, which was also expected. That is a rematch of the Big Ten Championship from a year ago.
Dochterman also reports that the game against Oregon in November will be a CBS game. That means it will take place at 3:30 pm ET. That was also expected since Notre Dame has the night game on NBC, meaning that the Buckeyes likely would end up playing on CBS.
The Ducks are the second-ranked team in the country, so that's a monster game for CBS to land late in the year. CBS has a new analyst this year, as Charles Davis has been hired to take over for Gary Danielson. That will be a welcome sight for Big Ten viewers, as Davis is an excellent commentator.
This is not unexpected news for the Ohio State Buckeyes. The IU game was likely to be one of the top picks for FOX this year, and it clearly was. What is unclear is whether the Buckeyes will play a game at night on NBC at some point this year, although that looks likely.
Ohio State has a tough schedule regardless of kickoff times
No matter when the Buckeyes kick off their games, they have one of the toughest schedules in the country. It won't be easy for them to go undefeated, with the fact that they have to play six teams ranked in the top 25. Yet, that is the task Ryan Day has in front of him.
Ohio State plays its first game of the year on Saturday against Ball State at 12:30 pm ET. It might not be the only game that the Buckeyes play on the Big Ten Network, but it might be the only time they play at that specific kickoff time. It's a unique time that the conference rarely puts the team at.
The Buckeyes will have their first night game of the year in Week 2 when they take on Texas in Austin. That game will have major College Football Playoff implications. This first game against Ball State will be more about preparing for that game against the Longhorns than anything else. Those other two games against the Hoosiers and Ducks will be monster matchups, too.
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