ESPN announced Ohio State will be featured in four primetime games to be broadcast on its family of networks during the 2016 season. Add in a Week 3 fracas with the Oklahoma Sooners, and the Buckeyes could be staring down the barrel of five regular season games under the lights in 2016.
This, of course, is all part of Urban Meyer's plan. Night games have become commonplace under the three-time champion—they create quite the atmosphere for recruits—but there was a time when Ohio State played two games maximum in primetime, and it wasn't that long ago.
Since 2001, Ohio State didn't play in three night games in a regular season until 2007. It was a feat unrepeated until Urban Meyer's first season at the helm of Ohio State in 2012.
Jim Tressel earned a reputation for big games, but the Vest went 11-8 under the lights during his 10 seasons in Columbus; 10-8 if you're a stooge that acknowledges the NCAA's vacation of Ohio State's 52-10 win over Minnesota in 2010.
Here's how Ohio State performed under the lights during the Tressel and Fickell regimes:
| YEAR | TIME (ET) | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 7:45 | No. 14 NORTHWESTERN | OHIO STADIUM | WIN | 38-20 |
| 2001 | 7:45 | MINNESOTA | HUBERT HUMPHREY METRODOME | WIN | 31-28 |
| 2002 | 6:00 | NORTHWESTERN | RYAN FIELD | WIN | 27-16 |
| 2003 | 9:00 | No. 22 WISCONSIN | CAMP RANDALL STADIUM | LOSS | 10-17 |
| 2004 | 9:00 | NORTHWESTERN | RYAN FIELD | LOSS | 27-33 (OT) |
| 2005 | 8:00 | No. 2 TEXAS | OHIO STADIUM | LOSS | 22-25 |
| 2005 | 8:00 | PENN STATE | BEAVER STADIUM | LOSS | 10-17 |
| 2006 | 8:00 | No. 2 TEXAS | DARRELL K. ROYAL–TEXAS MEMORIAL STADIUM | WIN | 24-17 |
| 2006 | 8:00 | No. 13 IOWA | KINNICK STADIUM | WIN | 38-17 |
| 2007 | 8:00 | MINNESOTA | HUBERT HUMPHREY METRODOME | WIN | 30-7 |
| 2007 | 8:00 | No. 20 PURDUE | ROSS–ADE STADIUM | WIN | 23-7 |
| 2007 | 8:00 | No. 25 PENN STATE | BEAVER STADIUM | WIN | 37-17 |
| 2008 | 8:00 | No. 1 USC | LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLLISEUM | LOSS | 3-35 |
| 2008 | 8:00 | No. 18 WISCONSIN | CAMP RANDALL STADIUM | WIN | 20-17 |
| 2008 | 8:00 | No. 3 PENN STATE | OHIO STADIUM | LOSS | 6-13 |
| 2009 | 8:00 | No. 3 USC | OHIO STADIUM | LOSS | 15-18 |
| 2009 | 7:00 | INDIANA | MEMORIAL STADIUM | WIN | 33-14 |
| 2010 | 7:00 | No. 18 WISCONSIN | CAMP RANDALL STADIUM | LOSS | 18-31 |
| 2010 | 8:00 | MINNESOTA | TCF BANK STADIUM | WIN | 52-10 |
| 2011 | 7:30 | MIAMI (FL) | SUN LIFE STADIUM | LOSS | 6-24 |
| 2011 | 8:30 | No. 14 NEBRASKA | MEMORIAL STADIUM | LOSS | 27-34 |
| 2011 | 8:00 | No. 12 WISCONSIN | OHIO STADIUM | WIN | 33-29 |
Tressel's primetime results weren't bad, but there are some glaring losses—both losses to USC were awful in their own ways, and the fact he went 3-4 in his last four years isn't a selling point either.
By contrast, Urban Meyer is entering his fifth season as Ohio State head coach and already compiled 14 wins. Sure, he had more chances than Tressel, but that also means higher chances of losing too.
Meyer's regular season primetime record, 14-1, remains impeccable even though it includes a dismal 2014 loss to an unranked Virginia Tech at home.
| YEAR | TIME (ET) | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 8:00 | No. 21 NEBRASKA | OHIO STADIUM | WIN | 63-38 |
| 2012 | 8:00 | INDIANA | MEMORIAL STADIUM | WIN | 52-49 |
| 2012 | 5:30 | PENN STATE | BEAVER STADIUM | WIN | 35-23 |
| 2013 | 8:00 | No. 23 WISCONSIN | OHIO STADIUM | WIN | 31-24 |
| 2013 | 8:00 | No. 16 NORTHWESTERN | RYAN FIELD | WIN | 40-30 |
| 2013 | 8:00 | PENN STATE | OHIO STADIUM | WIN | 63-14 |
| 2014 | 8:00 | VIRGINIA TECH | OHIO STADIUM | LOSS | 35-21 |
| 2014 | 6:00 | CINCINNATI | OHIO STADIUM | WIN | 50-28 |
| 2014 | 8:00 | PENN STATE | BEAVER STADIUM | WIN | 31-24 (2 OT) |
| 2014 | 8:00 | ILLINOIS | OHIO STADIUM | WIN | 55-14 |
| 2014 | 8:00 | No. 7 MICHIGAN STATE | SPARTAN STADIUM | WIN | 49-37 |
| 2015 | 8:00 | VIRGINIA TECH | LANE STADIUM | WIN | 42-24 |
| 2015 | 8:00 | PENN STATE | OHIO STADIUM | WIN | 38-10 |
| 2015 | 8:00 | RUTGERS | HIGH POINT SOLUTIONS STADIUM | WIN | 49-7 |
| 2015 | 8:00 | MINNESOTA | OHIO STADIUM | WIN | 28-14 |
Penn State is Ohio State's most common primetime opponent since 2001. The Buckeyes are 5-2 against the Nittany Lions in those games, including a 4-0 mark against them under Urban Meyer. (OSU outscored PSU 167 to 61 in those games.)
So, credit where it's due: Urban Meyer demanded the spotlight for his team, and his team has proven to be worthy of it 93 percent of the time. Given that rate, it's no wonder networks and advertisers continue to bet big on the Buckeyes.
