Ohio State’s 2015 and ’16 football schedules took more shape May 21 when the Big Ten released its conference slates for those years.
The Buckeyes will open both conference seasons with games against Purdue, traveling to West Lafayette on Oct. 3, 2015, and receiving a visit from the Boilermakers on Oct. 1 of the following year.
The regular season finale with Michigan remained intact as well. Ohio State will travel to Michigan on Nov. 28, 2015 and host the Wolverines the following Nov. 26.
In 2010, there was talk from Ohio State director of athletics Gene Smith and his Michigan counterpart, Dave Brandon, about moving The Game to a date earlier in the regular season to avoid the possibility of the ancient rivals playing back-to-back contests in the event both make the Big Ten Championship Game. The 2013 and ’14 schedules were released shortly thereafter with no guarantee the Buckeyes and Wolverines would continue to end the season against each other beyond the latter of those years.
Ohio State will not play Iowa, Nebraska or Northwestern in 2015 and ’16. That means at least four consecutive seasons without a matchup between the Buckeyes and Cornhuskers, who join Michigan State and Minnesota on the previously announced “no play” list for Ohio State in 2013 and ’14.
The Buckeyes’ open week in the Big Ten schedule will come Oct. 24 in 2015 and Oct. 8 of the following year. Both come a week before road trips, first to Minnesota and then to Michigan State.
In 2015, Ohio State is scheduled to host North Carolina and Northern Illinois with a trip to Virginia Tech on tap as well, leaving the Buckeyes in need of one more opponent for that season.
They have two nonconference games left to schedule in 2016, when they are already set to host Bowling Green and travel to Oklahoma.
For a full view of the schedule, click here.