With the way the College Football Playoff works these days, one loss can make or break your season. Just ask the Texas Longhorns about that, who lost to Ohio State and Ryan Day last campaign, with that result playing a massive role in the SEC side watching the CFP from home.
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Because of that, plenty of people have assumed that the home-and-home series between Ohio State and Alabama for 2027 and 2028 is going to get wiped off the table. Think the Buckeyes are scared of Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide? Not a chance. Ross Bjork made that much clear this week, stating that Ohio State will 'never be afraid to play anybody,' which is pretty dang great:
Ohio State wants the series with Alabama to be played, according to Bjork, who also highlighted the financial incentive to having high-profile nonconference games on the schedule: pic.twitter.com/1LNiIzYCK7
— Joey Kaufman (@joeyrkaufman) February 24, 2026
Ohio State football has no plans to run away from the upcoming Alabama series
As you can see from the social media post above, Bjork doubled down on things. On top of this being a showdown of two historic programs, there's also financial implications too, as Columbus is going to be rockin' when the Tide visit. On the flip side, Tuscaloosa will also be electric when Bama hosts OSU.
Typically when you think of Alabama and Ohio State going to war on the gridiron, you'd assume it'd be in the winter during the CFP and not in the fall. However, these two games are ones that people can't wait for, as they indeed will have a bit of a Playoff atmosphere.
On one hand, sure, there might be future worries of a non-conference game against Alabama having a negative impact on Ohio State's seeding for the CFP if they don't come out on top. However, that's if we're thinking in worst-case scenario terms.
Imagine Ohio State wins both games in '27 and '28 and it helps pave the way for a No. 1 overall seed? That'd be something for Buckeyes fans everywhere to be excited about. Yes, the focus is on the 2026 season, but we've seen plenty of people bash both Ohio State and Alabama for wanting to 'run away' from one another. It's not going to happen and a pair of blockbuster showdowns will be coming soon enough, per Bjork.