Through the first month of the season, Ohio State lined up against an undefeated team to begin all four of their first games.
After Maryland defeated Indiana on Saturday afternoon by a final score of 44-17, the Terrapins have secured a fifth straight meeting with a side yet to lose for Ohio State this season.
As a result, next weekend will serve as the first time since 1940 — 83 seasons ago — that the Buckeyes have opened their regular season against five consecutive undefeated opponents.
Dating back to last season, Ohio State has now played seven unbeaten opponents in a row, as Michigan and Georgia were both undefeated entering their wins over the Buckeyes.
The last time Ohio State started a season by playing five unbeaten opponents, head coach Francis Schmidt managed to earn half of the wins that Ryan Day has already secured over their comparable stretches.
| Ohio State (1940) | Ohio State (2023) | |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | vs. Pittsburgh (W, 30-7) | @ Indiana (W, 23-3) |
| Week 2 | vs. Purdue (W, 17-14) | vs. Youngstown State (W, 35-7) |
| Week 3 | @ Northwestern (L, 6-3) | vs. Western Kentucky (W, 63-10) |
| Week 4 | vs. Minnesota (L, 13-7) | @ Notre Dame (W, 17-14) |
| Week 5 | @ Cornell (L, 21-7) | vs. Maryland (TBD) |
Though the 1940 campaign hardly lived up to Buckeye fans' modern-day standards, Schmidt did have to tangle with a pair of top-10 opponents in Minnesota and the top-ranked Cornell Big Red. Notre Dame is the only ranked opponent Ohio State has faced so far this year, though Maryland could potentially find its way into the top 25 tomorrow after its fifth straight win to start the season.
The 1940 Buckeyes went on to finish that year with a 4-4 record, a win total that this year’s team has already achieved just one month into the 2023 schedule.
Ohio State will kick off against Maryland next Saturday at noon with FOX's Big Noon Kickoff in attendance at Ohio Stadium.
NEXT STOP:COLUMBUS!
— Big Noon Kickoff (@BNKonFOX) September 30, 2023
See you next weekend @OhioStateFB fans! pic.twitter.com/FpTbdjhhYb
