As part of the redesign of the Bucknuts.com web site, we have added an area
where we can publish excerpts from Bucknuts The Magazine. Each week, we will put
in a new excerpt from the latest edition of Bucknuts The Magazine.
BTM has evolved from humble beginnings as a 32-page magazine into its current
format as a 64-page magazine. It is published 10 times a year (monthly from
September through April, then once in the Spring and Summer).
The magazine retails for $4.95 on newsstands. We also sell annual
subscriptions to the magazine on the Internet for $39.95.
But the best deal going is our annual subscription bundle. For $99.95, you
get a full year of BTM as well as access to all of the premium content and
message boards on Bucknuts.com. Subscriptions to the web site, itself, are
priced at $9.95 per month. So, for roughly $100 you receive the value of almost
$160 between the web site and magazine.
For the time being, you also get a 12-month subscription to Sports Illustrated as well as a free copy of Steve Helwagen's book, "The Greatest Game Ever Played," on OSU's Fiesta Bowl national championship game win over Miami (Fla.).
In each issue of Bucknuts The Magazine, we have in-depth features on Ohio State football players, coaches and prospects. We also have analysis pieces on
the Buckeyes as well as their opponents, the Big Ten and college football world
in general. Plus, we have features on OSU athletes in a variety of sports,
including men's and women's basketball, hockey, wrestling, baseball and other
sports.
This excerpt is from last summer's edition of the magazine. It deals with future football schedules and has been updated with the latest information.
But first we will include details of the Aug. 4, 2006, announcement from OSU Athletic Communications:
Ohio State officials confirmed today that the Buckeyes and Oklahoma would meet in a two-game, home-and-home series in 2016 and 2017.
“We still have a few details to work out, including where the first game will be, but we have an agreement in principle,” said Steve Snapp, associate director of athletics. “We want to play a marquee game every year, either home or away, and Oklahoma certainly fits into that category. Our hope down the road is to continue to add high profile games and to be able to play at sites where we have not traditionally played.”
Snapp noted that between now and 2016 the Buckeyes have series scheduled with Southern California (2008-09), Miami, Fla. (2010-11), the University of California (2012-13) and Virginia Tech (2014-15).
This will be just the third and fourth meetings between Ohio State and Oklahoma. The series is tied at 1-1, the Sooners defeating Ohio State 29-28 in 1977 in Columbus and the Buckeyes prevailing 24-14 in Norman in 1983.
Ohio State also released its schedules through 2010. The Buckeyes, who have an open date to fill in 2010, will play seven home games each of those years.
“One of our basic tenets in scheduling is to schedule as many home games as we can,” Snapp said. “In 2012, we hope to play eight games in Ohio Stadium.”
The four-year schedule includes back-to-back games with Youngstown State in 2007 and 2008. Both games will be played in Columbus. The Buckeyes also will play a home-and-home series with Army in 2009 and 2010. The two teams will play in Columbus in 2009 and either at Army or in the Meadowlands in 2010.
“The schedule the next four years is in keeping with our philosophy of playing in-state schools whenever we can,” said Ohio State Director of Athletics Gene Smith. “Both Coach (Jim) Tressel and I believe strongly in that.”
Headline: Planning Ahead
By Steve Helwagen
EDITOR'S NOTE -- This story was updated with the Aug. 4 announcement of a two-game series with Oklahoma and other future games.
In 2005, the NCAA management council approved a resolution to make the
12-game football regular season schedule permanent.
The move was hailed by administrators and coaches as a way to offset rising
scholarship costs across the country.
“I have been a long, strong believer that we needed more revenue
opportunities for a lot of our programs across the country,” said new OSU
athletic director Gene Smith. “Obviously, an additional football game provides
that.”
The resolution brings scheduling uniformity to college football. Since 2002,
schools have been able to schedule 12 games only in certain seasons based on the
calendar and the number of Saturdays between the end of August and early
December.
“Right now, in some years we play 12 and some years 11,” Smith said. “When
you look at the football season, practice toward the end of the year dwindles
down. Football also misses the least number of classes of any of the sports
because they play on Saturdays, travel on Friday afternoon and are back on
Sunday at the latest. I’ve been a big believer in providing them another
platform to play, but the driving force has been the money.”
OSU coach Jim Tressel, a former athletic director at Youngstown State, also
sees the benefit in making the 12th game permanent.
“I think there is a lot of upside,” he said. “We’ve been fortunate at
Ohio State to sponsor a very comprehensive athletic program. Obviously, a 12th
game can help that. Like a lot of new things, whether I will be for it or not
will probably depend on how we attack it – both as a league and as an
individual institution. I think as long as we approach it right from a coaching
standpoint and what we ask of our student-athletes, I think we’ll be fine.”
Tressel was asked how he would fill OSU’s non-conference schedule. (In
recent years, OSU athletic administrators Andy Geiger and Archie Griffin have
handled such scheduling issues. Smith, who began his job as the AD last April,
will likely assume those duties as well.)
“I always like to have a nice home-and-home going on, like Texas and we’ve
got USC and Miami (Fla.) coming up,” Tressel said. “I wouldn’t maybe want to add one more
intrasectional home-and-home. Admittedly, people are saying this is a financial
situation. I think you can make more financially with a game here at Ohio
Stadium.
“The nice thing about adding a football game is we don’t miss class. We
travel at 4 o’clock on Friday afternoon.”
Tressel said he would not be in favor of increasing the Big Ten schedule from
eight games to nine.
“I think the only thing that I think that would be hard about adding a Big
Ten game is every other year you would have four home and five away,” he said.
“You may have one of those teams in your league that, if it was four home and
four away could vie for the national championship. But if they have to play four
home and five away, you could take a team out of the national picture because
all of a sudden the percentages of being in the top two of the BCS may go down.”
In recent interviews, Tressel indicated a desire to schedule games with his
former school, Division I-AA Youngstown State. Smith said that could be a
possibility “once every six or seven years.”
Also, Smith said he had opened talks with Notre Dame athletic director Kevin
White about the possibility of more Ohio State-Notre Dame games in the future.
ND and OSU first met in 1935-36 and again in 1995-96. OSU moved ahead in the series 3-2 with its win in the Fiesta Bowl this past January.
Looking Forward
Here is a year-by-year look at some of the notable games planned in the years ahead.
These games are also listed on the accompanying graphic. (Some games beyond 2009
are tentative and may still need dates assigned.)
* 2006 – OSU has announced a Sept. 2 opener against Northern
Illinois of the MAC. The Buckeyes will then complete the home-and-home series
with Texas when they make their first trip ever to Austin. Cincinnati, led by
former OSU defensive coordinator Mark Dantonio, then visits Sept. 16 to complete
a four-game deal (three in Columbus, one in Cincinnati). On June 24, UC announced a new home-and-home series with Ohio State (see below).
On Oct. 6, 2005, OSU filled its schedule for 2006 by scheduling Bowling Green for the Oct. 7 opening.
In the Big Ten, a two-year rotation will end. OSU will miss Wisconsin and Purdue for the second year in a row. (OSU plays Michigan and Penn State every year as protected Big Ten rivals.)
* 2007 – OSU was previously tabbed to open Sept. 1 against Syracuse from the Big East. But that game came off the schedule last year and was replaced by the first-ever meeting with Division I-AA Youngstown State.
The Buckeyes then host Akron Sept. 8. The Zips helped christen renovated Ohio Stadium and were also Tressel’s first opponent (28-14
OSU win) in 2001. The Buckeyes then travel to Washington Sept. 15 for a return
game for the 2003 game in Columbus (28-9 OSU win). OSU holds a 7-3 all-time
edge, although the Buckeyes lost their last two trips to Seattle (40-7 in 1986
and 25-16 in 1994).
Kent State has been added for the Oct. 13 opening. OSU played Kent State for the first time in 2002, winning 51-17.
In the Big Ten, another two-year scheduling rotation will begin with Wisconsin and Purdue returning and Iowa and Indiana rotating off.
* 2008 – OSU and Youngstown State will again open the season with an Aug. 30 date.
Ohio U. is next on Sept. 6 OSU leads the all-time series with the Bobcats 5-0, including a 40-16 win in 1999.
The Buckeyes travel to Los Angeles to
meet USC on Sept. 13. USC holds an all-time 11-9-1 edge, although the teams are
even at 2-2-1 at the Coliseum. USC won the last meeting 35-26 in 1990 in
Columbus in the infamous storm-shortened game. These two tradition-rich powers
have met seven times in the Rose Bowl.
OSU will then host Troy University from the Sun Belt Conference on Sept. 20.
* 2009 – OSU canceled a trip to Washington State, which visited OSU in 2002.
The Buckeyes open by hosting Army on Sept. 5. It will be the first-ever meeting with Army. OSU then hosts USC on Sept. 12.
OSU has added a Sept. 19 date against Toledo at Cleveland Browns Stadium. It would be the fifth time OSU has played in Cleveland, although just the second time since 1944. OSU defeated Northwestern 34-3 in Cleveland in 1991. OSU downed Toledo 49-0 in 1998 in the schools' only previous meeting.
The remaining opening on Oct. 31 will be filled with New Mexico State of the WAC. It will be OSU's first-ever meeting with NMSU.
In November 2005, the Big Ten published a two-year rotation for 2009-10. Indiana and Iowa will rotate back on the OSU schedule, while Northwestern and Michigan State will rotate off.
* 2010 – Marshall returns to the OSU schedule for the Sept. 4 season opener. OSU edged Marshall 24-21 in the team's only previous meeting in 2004.
Prior to their meeting in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl national championship game, OSU and Miami (Fla.) announced a home-and-home series that
would begin Sept. 11, 2010, in Columbus. OSU holds a 2-1 all-time edge, winning
10-0 in Columbus in 1977, losing 23-12 in the 1999 Kickoff Classic in East
Rutherford, N.J., and winning the historic Fiesta Bowl 31-24 in double overtime.
The Buckeyes will then visit Army on Sept. 18. That game will be held at either West Point, N.Y., or possibly at Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J.
OSU has one more opening on Oct. 30.
* 2011 – OSU is set for a Sept. 17 game at Miami (Fla.), which would mark the first time OSU will play the Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl. Also, Toledo will visit OSU on Sept. 10.
* 2012-13 – OSU has a two-game series tentatively planned with Cal.
OSU holds a 5-1 all-time edge on Cal. The loss was a 26-0 shiner in the 1921
Rose Bowl. The teams’ last meeting was in 1972, when the Buckeyes took a 35-18
win in Berkeley.
Cincinnati has also announced that Ohio State will return to Cincinnati on Sept. 8, 2012, presumably for another game at Paul Brown Stadium, while UC heads back to Columbus on Sept. 6, 2014.
* 2014-15 – OSU has a two-game series tentatively planned with
Virginia Tech. The Buckeyes and Hokies, now in the ACC, have never met on the
gridiron.
* 2016-17 -- OSU and Oklahoma will play a home-and-home series. The sites and dates will be set at a later date.
This will be just the third and fourth meetings between Ohio State and Oklahoma. The series is tied at 1-1, the Sooners defeating Ohio State 29-28 in 1977 in Columbus and the Buckeyes prevailing 24-14 in Norman in 1983.
Future OSU
Football
Schedules
2006
Sept. 2 Northern Illinois, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
Sept. 9 at Texas, 8 p.m. (ABC)
Sept. 16 Cincinnati, noon (ESPN-Plus)
Sept. 23 Penn State
Sept. 30 at Iowa, 8 p.m. (ABC or ESPN)
Oct. 7 Bowling Green
Oct. 14 at Michigan State
Oct. 21 Indiana
Oct. 28 Minnesota, 3:30 p.m. (ABC, ESPN or ESPN2)
Nov. 4 at Illinois
Nov. 11 at Northwestern
Nov. 18 Michigan, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
2007
Sept. 1 Youngstown State
Sept. 8 Akron
Sept. 15 at Washington
Sept. 22 Northwestern
Sept. 29 at Minnesota
Oct. 6 at Purdue
Oct. 13 Kent State
Oct. 20 Michigan State
Oct. 27 at Penn State
Nov. 3 Wisconsin
Nov. 10 Illinois
Nov. 17 at Michigan
2008
Aug. 30 Youngstown State
Sept. 6 Ohio U.
Sept. 13 at USC
Sept. 20 Troy U.
Sept. 27 Minnesota
Oct. 4 at Wisconsin
Oct. 11 Purdue
Oct. 18 at Michigan State
Oct. 25 Penn State
Nov. 8 at Northwestern
Nov. 15 at Illinois
Nov. 22 Michigan
2009
Sept. 5 Army
Sept. 12 USC
Sept. 19 vs. Toledo (at Cleveland Browns Stadium)
Sept. 26 Illinois
Oct. 3 at Indiana
Oct. 10 Wisconsin
Oct. 17 at Purdue
Oct. 24 Minnesota
Oct. 31 New Mexico State
Nov. 7 at Penn State
Nov. 14 Iowa
Nov. 21 at Michigan
2010 (Tentative)
Sept. 4 Marshall
Sept. 11 Miami (Fla.)
Sept. 18 at Army
Sept. 25 at Illinois
Oct. 2 Indiana
Oct. 9 at Wisconsin
Oct. 16 Purdue
Oct. 23 at Minnesota
Oct. 30 TBA
Nov. 6 Penn State
Nov. 13 at Iowa
Nov. 20 Michigan
2011 (Tentative)
Sept. 10 Toledo
Sept. 17 at Miami (Fla.)
2012 (Tentative)
TBA California (site TBA)
Sept. 8 at Cincinnati (likely at Paul Brown Stadium)
2013 (Tentative)
TBA California (site TBA)
2014 (Tentative)
Sept. 6 Cincinnati
TBA Virginia Tech
2015 (Tentative)
TBA at Virginia Tech
2016 (Tentative)
TBA Oklahoma (site TBA)
2017 (Tentative)
TBA Oklahoma (site TBA)