The 2024 Ohio State schedule is not among the most difficult in the nation. Even the most hardened and biased Ohio State fan would agree that both the non-conference and in-conference schedules are not incredibly difficult. However, there’s no sense in worrying about it anymore. The schedule is set. 12 regular-season games stand in front of the Men of the Scarlet and Gray.
Heading into the season, as NCAA official records stand, the Buckeyes have a combined all-time record of 372-149-17. Ohio State has a winning record over 11 of its 12 opponents.
2024 Ohio State Weeks 1-7: Chances For Continued Dominance
Week 1: vs. Akron
Record vs. Akron: 8-1
Last loss: 1894
In the history of Ohio State football, the Buckeyes have faced a (current) MAC program 37 times. Akron owns the lone win over its in-state rivals way back during the Grover Cleveland administration.
The two programs faced off five years in a row from 1891 through 1895 with the Buckeyes taking four of five. It took the two 106 years to play again. Since the turn of the century, Ohio State and Akron have played four times. Over the last two meetings (2011 and 2021), the Buckeyes outscored the Zips 101-7.
This year, the two programs are in very different places as Ohio State is a 50-point favorite.
Week 2: vs Western Michigan
Record vs. Western Michigan: 1-0
Last loss: N/A
A year before shocking the college football world and crashing the New Year’s Six, Western Michigan played Ohio State tough in the only matchup of the two programs.
In 2015, the Broncos traveled to Columbus to face the top-ranked Buckeyes. The game ended 38-12 but WMU gave the Buckeyes more than they expected. With five minutes to go until half, Ohio State only led 14-6. Ohio State then scored a field goal and a pick-six on subsequent drives.
Darius Phillips intercepted the two Buckeye quarterbacks once each and Daniel Braverman gashed the Buckeye defense for 123 yards and a score off 10 catches.
This year, this matchup is in primetime for some reason.
Week 3: BYE
An early bye could be beneficial to give coaches a chance to digest what should be two tune-up games before Big Ten play starts on the Ohio State schedule.
Week 4: vs. Marshall
Record vs. Marshall: 1-0
Last loss: N/A
Officially, Ohio State and Marshall have only played once, a narrow 24-21 Buckeye victory in a rough 2004 season. Ohio State outgained the Herd 403-290 but it took a last-second 55-yard field goal to take home the win.
Ohio State turned the ball over four times in this game, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Marshall had a pair of players who got over 70 yards rushing with double-digit attempts each, but no one player stood out on offense. Meanwhile, Ohio State was willed to victory by Santonio Holmes‘ 224 yards and two touchdowns off 10 receptions.
The two did play again in 2010…but the win has since been vacated as a response to the horrific “Tattoogate” scandal that rocked the college football world. Whispers say the Buckeyes prevailed that year, 45-7.
Week 5: at Michigan State
Record vs. Michigan State: 37-15
Last loss: 2015
It took nearly four full seasons but Urban Meyer finally dropped a regular-season Big Ten game thanks to Tyler O’Connor and Michael Geiger. Buckeye fans can still see Geiger running around the Horseshoe, swinging his arms like a windmill after hitting the game-winner as time expired.
The game lives in infamy for several reasons. The biggest was the lack of Ezekiel Elliott usage despite the weather. The star running back declared for the NFL Draft in the locker room following a 12-carry, 33-yard, one-touchdown game. Michigan State was a thorn in the side of Meyer at the beginning of his tenure and this game is one of the biggest “what if” games.
The year following, Ohio State won an incredible 17-16 game.
Since then, Ohio State has outscored the Spartans, 303-61.
Week 6: vs Iowa
Record vs. Iowa: 47-15-3
Last loss: 2017
Since 2009, Ohio State and Iowa have only faced off five times. That 2017 game was rough, to say the least. Iowa rode its elite defense and opportunistic offense to a 55-24 victory, the largest margin of victory over the Buckeyes in the history of the matchup.
J.T. Barrett threw four interceptions. His first pass was intercepted and returned 30 yards for a touchdown, setting the tone. Two of those interceptions were in the fourth quarter as the Buckeyes were just trying to push the ball and the game-ender was an interception in the end zone.
In 2022, Ohio State got the Hawkeyes back with a 54-10 win. In the battle of top defenses, Ohio State came out on top with six turnovers and limited the Iowa offense to 158 yards and eight first downs.
This year, Iowa will have an elite defense yet again but the Hawkeyes’ offense will have to contend with an even better Ohio State defense in Columbus.
Week 7: at Oregon
Record vs. Oregon: 9-1
Last loss: 2021
Assuming everything goes to plan, this is the biggest game not only on the Ohio State schedule but in all of college football. October 12 has a full slate of must-see TV with Ohio State at Oregon as the main event.
The Buckeyes won the first nine matchups with the Ducks. Then, Oregon came into Columbus and rattled C.J. Stroud to a 35-28 victory. Still, this loss to Oregon is Ryan Day’s only regular-season loss to a team not named Michigan.
CJ Verdell saw the Buckeyes were not going to contain the edge and gashed the defense for 161 yards and a pair of scores. The issue was that no matter what the Buckeyes did, the Ducks punched back. Despite the loss, Ohio State did something it had never done in its storied history. Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba all finished with over 100 yards receiving.
The Buckeyes outgained the Ducks 612-505 for the first of five 600+ total offense games on the year.
However, the greatest Ohio State-Oregon matchup (at least, in the minds of Buckeyes), was the 42-20 victory on January 12, 2015. In the first season with the College Football Playoff, the Buckeyes dominated the Ducks for the school’s eighth national championship. Elliott was a superstar with an incredible 246 yards and four touchdowns to bring it home.
For 2024, the Week 7 matchup could be round one of two or three. Now that the Big Ten is without divisions and the College Football Playoff is expanded to 12, the two best teams in the Big Ten could become even more familiar with one another.
Well-Timed Bye
After getting back from Eugene, Ohio State gets its second bye week to regroup and focus on the second half of the season.
With six Big Ten foes left after Oregon, Ohio State will have the opportunity to separate itself and exorcise a few demons along the way.
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