The Big Ten released a new schedule for the 2021 football season on Friday, but it doesn't include any major changes for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes will still be opening the season on Thursday, Sept. 2 at Minnesota, they will still be concluding their regular season on Saturday, Nov. 27 at Michigan and they will still be facing all the same opponents they were originally scheduled to play in 2021.
Each of their other seven conference games, though, will now be played on different dates than originally planned.
Ohio State will now travel to Rutgers for its second conference game of the year on Oct. 2, the day when it was supposed to play Nebraska on the road. The Buckeyes will host Maryland instead of Purdue on Oct. 9. The Buckeyes' trip to Indiana has been moved up to Oct. 23 in place of the Rutgers trip, while their home game against Penn State has been moved up to Oct. 30, swapping dates with Michigan State, who the Buckeyes will now play in their home finale on Nov. 20. Ohio State's road game at Nebraska will now be played on Nov. 6, and its home game against Purdue is now scheduled for Nov. 13.
The Buckeyes are still scheduled to play a trio of September non-conference home games against Oregon (Sept. 11), Tulsa (Sept. 18) and Akron (Sept. 25), and the Big Ten Championship Game is still scheduled for Dec. 4.
#B1G Schedule Update
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) February 5, 2021
2021 #B1GFootball is right around the corner
Which game are you most excited about?
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Game times and TV networks have not yet been announced.
| DATE | NEW OPPONENT (OLD OPPONENT) | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| THU, SEP. 2 | MINNESOTA | TCF BANK STADIUM (MINNEAPOLIS, MN) |
| SAT, SEP. 11 | OREGON | OHIO STADIUM (COLUMBUS, OH) |
| SAT, SEP. 18 | TULSA | OHIO STADIUM (COLUMBUS, OH) |
| SAT, SEP. 25 | AKRON | OHIO STADIUM (COLUMBUS, OH) |
| SAT, OCT. 2 | RUTGERS (NEBRASKA) | SHI STADIUM (PISCATAWAY, NJ) |
| SAT, OCT. 9 | MARYLAND (PURDUE) | OHIO STADIUM (COLUMBUS, OH) |
| SAT, OCT. 23 | INDIANA (RUTGERS) | MEMORIAL STADIUM (BLOOMINGTON, IN) |
| SAT, OCT. 30 | PENN STATE (MICHIGAN STATE) | OHIO STADIUM (COLUMBUS, OH) |
| SAT, NOV. 6 | NEBRASKA (INDIANA) | MEMORIAL STADIUM (LINCOLN, NE) |
| SAT, NOV. 13 | PURDUE (MARYLAND) | OHIO STADIUM (COLUMBUS, OH) |
| SAT, NOV. 20 | MICHIGAN STATE (PENN STATE) | OHIO STADIUM (COLUMBUS, OH) |
| SAT, NOV. 27 | MICHIGAN | MICHIGAN STADIUM (ANN ARBOR, MI) |
| SAT, DEC. 4 | BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP | LUCAS OIL STADIUM (INDIANAPOLIS, IN) |
Ohio State is still scheduled to play seven home games and five road games in 2021 – assuming no further changes, which certainly can't be ruled out given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic – as the Buckeyes will still be playing home and away games on all the same dates that they were scheduled to, just against different opponents for seven of them.
Many Ohio State fans had been hoping the end-of-season rivalry game against Michigan would be moved to Ohio Stadium in 2021, given that the 2020 game at the Shoe was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak at Michigan. However, Ohio State will still have to wait 2022 to host the Wolverines again.
According to a statement released by the Big Ten, the schedule was revised “in order to accommodate the following six games that adjusted locations as a result of changes made during the 2020 scheduling process”: Indiana-Michigan, Indiana-Michigan State, Michigan-Michigan State, Nebraska-Purdue, Nebraska-Wisconsin and Purdue-Wisconsin. All other opponents and locations are unchanged from the previous 2021 schedule, which was initially released in 2017.
