When Ohio State ripped off 13 consecutive victories en route to the College Football Playoff National Championship last season, you could argue that each win following an ugly loss to Virginia Tech in Week 2 was equally important as the last. If the Buckeyes lost again, the chances they would have to win championships at the end of the season were slim.
The argument could be made that each game in the 2015 season holds the same level of importance for Ohio State as defending national champion, but fans are blessed with the option of looking forward to bigger and better games later in the season. That can't be said for Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes, but then again that's why coaches coach and players play.
Ohio State's schedule kicks off with a prime-time revenge affair on national television and November is full of true competitors (except for Illinois). Below is a list of the 2015 slate, put together by the factors that include quality through location, opponent, coaches and time of year. If you'd rather have DJ's #takes on the schedule, those are over here. Only 102 days until kickoff!
1. Ohio State at Michigan
DATE, KICKOFF: Nov. 28, 2015, TBA
LOCATION: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Mich.
WHY IT'S HERE: This game has to be No. 1, right? It is The Game, it is the first time Urban Meyer is set to face off against Jim Harbaugh, it is Ohio State v. Michigan. Parallels between the 1968 and 2014 Ohio State national title-winning teams are endless, but the Super Sophomores and Woody Hayes lost to Michigan at the Big House in Bo Schembechler's first year as head coach of the Wolverines in 1969. That game ignited the Ten Year War, and while Ohio State will have the target on its back all season, this game transcends all.
2. Michigan State at Ohio State
DATE, KICKOFF: Nov. 21, 2015, TBA
LOCATION: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
WHY IT'S HERE: The Spartans lost their hold on the Big Ten last November when the Buckeyes, led by J.T. Barrett, paid a visit to Spartan Stadium and left with an emphatic 49-37 victory. Meyer and Ohio State went on to win the Big Ten and national championships, supplanting Michigan State and Mark Dantonio from the top of the conference. Not only is this the game before The Game, it is also bound to have a boatload of conference standings implications. It's not quite Meyer-Harbaugh I, but Meyer-Dantonio IV ain't too shabby.
3. Ohio State at Virginia Tech
DATE, KICKOFF: Sept. 7, 2015, 8 p.m.
LOCATION: Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Va.
WHY IT'S HERE: This one's pretty obvious. The Hokies served up the lone blemish to Ohio State's improbable run at the first ever College Football Playoff National Championship, catching the Buckeyes at the perfect time to spring the upset. To make matters worse, Virginia Tech needed to win both its regular season finale against Virginia and bowl game against Cincinnati to finish above .500. The frustration and revenge levels will be at a high level for the Buckeyes, and with it being a season opener on national television Labor Day Night, expect Meyer and company to be out for blood and make a statement.
4. Minnesota at Ohio State
DATE, KICKOFF: Nov. 7, 2015, 7/8 p.m.
LOCATION: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
WHY IT'S HERE: The initial affair in the gauntlet that is Ohio State's November 2015 slate, Minnesota deserves to be in the top third of this list after narrowly missing out on a chance to topple the Buckeyes in snowy Minneapolis last season. The Golden Gophers also bring reigning Big Ten Coach of the Year Jerry Kill to The Horseshoe for a November game under the lights. While Buckeye fans feel Meyer got slighted in that award's voting, the Buckeyes won't be thinking about that at kickoff. Kill's a good coach and the Gophers are a scrappy bunch, so it seems fitting Ohio State faces off with them to open November.
5. Penn State at Ohio State
DATE, KICKOFF: Oct. 17, 2015, 8 p.m.
LOCATION: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
WHY IT'S HERE: Ohio State-Penn State has turned into an annual affair under the lights, and the 2014 version didn't disappoint. Joey Bosa's walk-off sack iced Christian Hackenberg and the Nittany Lions in double overtime, 31-24, but James Franklin really believed his team should have won the game. They didn't, but these matchups are always entertaining for various reasons. This game also has Big Ten East implications, so if Ohio State wants to defend it's crown, it's got to go through the Nittanys.
6. Ohio State at Rutgers
DATE, KICKOFF: Oct. 24, 2015, 8 p.m.
LOCATION: High Point Solutions Stadium, Piscataway, N.J.
WHY IT'S HERE: This game's ahead of Indiana and Maryland because it's the first time the Buckeyes will ever play in High Point Solutions Stadium (yay, B1G expansion!) and, almost out of principle, it's a night game. Rutgers is meh when it comes to football credentials, but a new conference road trip is something. Right?
7. Maryland at Ohio State (Homecoming)
DATE, KICKOFF: Oct. 10, 2015, 12 p.m.
LOCATION: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
WHY IT'S HERE: While it might seem a little loony to have a homecoming affair kick off at high noon in the middle of October, the Terrapins serve as a semi-formidable opponent as the lone Big Ten East member not named Ohio State or Michigan State to finish without a losing conference record in 2014. Going .500 in league play in your first season is nothing to be ashamed of, especially when loads of Big Ten experts thought Maryland would struggle. Still, the Buckeyes entertaining the Terps for the first time ever at Ohio Stadium should be fun.
8. Ohio State at Indiana
DATE, KICKOFF: Oct. 3, 2015, TBA
LOCATION: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Ind.
WHY IT'S HERE: Yet another three and a half hour trip to Bloomington, Ind., for a visit to The Horseshoe's dimwitted cousin is nothing to get crazy psyched about, but it is a road affair that isn't that far away or expensive to enjoy. Indiana won just one Big Ten game in 2014 (stay hot, Purdue) but did win the SEC East, so that's something.
9. Northern Illinois at Ohio State
DATE, KICKOFF: Sept. 19, 2015, TBA
LOCATION: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
WHY IT'S HERE: Northern Illinois' first road game of 2015 is a visit to The Horseshoe. Quarterback Drew Hare threw for more than 2,300 yards, 18 touchdowns and just two interceptions last season, so take that for what you will. The Huskies did win the MAC in 2014 before Marshall dropped 52 points on them in the Boca Raton (the what?) Bowl. The Buckeyes beat Northern Illinois, 35-12, way back in 2006. A similar result seems likely here.
10. Ohio State at Illinois
DATE, KICKOFF: Nov. 14, 2015, TBA
LOCATION: Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Ill.
WHY IT'S HERE: Respect for the Fighting Illini is running on empty following its uninspired performance at Ohio Stadium last November and the fact that head coach Tim Beckman openly campaigned for the media to be nice to him and his players this winter. Illinois made a bowl game in 2014, but lost to Louisiana Tech despite gaining more yards and logging more than 40 minutes of possession. So, yeah.
11. Hawai'i at Ohio State
DATE, KICKOFF: Sept. 12, 2015, TBA
LOCATION: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
WHY IT'S HERE: Hawai'i went 4-9 last year and has to fly across six time zones to play the Buckeyes. There is some luster in the fact that this is Ohio State's first home game since winning its eighth national championship, but expecting a competitive matchup between the lines seems foolish here.
12. Western Michigan at Ohio State
DATE, KICKOFF: Sept. 26, 2015, TBA
LOCATION: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
WHY IT'S HERE: P.J. Fleck is a budding star in the coaching ranks and led the Broncos to an eight-win season in 2014 after going 1-11 the year before. He's only 34 years old, but this game isn't anything to get too exciting over aside from that. After all, Western Michigan lost to Purdue last year.
