Ohio State football: 5 things to know about Buckeyes and the schedule

Don’t look now, but we are only a couple weeks away from another season of Ohio State football kicking off at Ohio Stadium.

The Buckeyes have opened the season on the road two of the last four years, something that was a rarity prior to the 2015 opener against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. This year, however, Ohio State will kick things off in front of a likely sold-out crowd against a different OSU, Oregon State, and will look to commence their quest for another College Football Playoff appearance.

Despite a seemingly normal slate for the Buckeyes this season, here are a couple things to know about the schedule.

1. Ohio State and the Pac-12

Ohio State will open 2018 with the Beavers from Oregon State. The programs have met just twice before, and the Buckeyes won those games by a combined margin of 73-24.

Other than the Big Ten, of course, the Buckeyes have played opponents from the Pac-12 more than any other league and have posted a 60-26-2 record in 88 career meetings. The last time they clashed with someone from the “Conference of Champions” during the regular season? Well you’d only have to go back to 2013 when Kenny Guiton and Co. thrashed Jared Goff and Cal 52-24 on the road in place of an injured Braxton Miller.

2. Ohio State and first-time opponents

Last season Ohio State and Army met for the first time despite the long, storied histories of both programs, and this year, the Buckeyes will once again play a school for the first time.

Ohio State hosts Tulane on Sept. 22 in the Shoe for the debut matchup between the Buckeyes and the Green Wave. As I’m sure it felt with Army in 2017, Ohio State playing a team for the first time is a little strange. However, the Buckeyes and Tulane could have met in a bowl game during the 1998 season after the Green Wave finished the year undefeated and with the No. 10 ranking — while Ohio State finished with the No. 2 spot in the poll behind Tee Martin’s Tennessee Volunteers.

3. Welcome back, Purdue

For the first time in four seasons, the grit in the Big Ten Conference will be on full display in West Lafayette, Ind., this fall. Ohio State returns to Ross-Ade Stadium on Oct. 20 for Buckeyes and Boilermakers first clash since 2013, when Ohio State put up 56 points and over 600 yards of offense in a shutout victory.

This season’s matchup, however, has the potential to be one of the best of the conference season if Purdue coach Jeff Brohm can continue to right the ship in West Lafayette. It may not seem like an important matchup at the moment, but it is one to circle on your calendar.

If that’s not enough for you, Mark Pantoni’s former right-hand man Eron Hodges just joined the Boilermakers staff as their Director or Player Personnel.

4. Nail-biters in East Lansing for Ohio State

Yes, Ohio State was very angry last season after losing to Iowa on the road and took it all out on Michigan State the next week. Despite the 48-3 blowout in the Shoe last season, matchups featuring the Buckeyes and Spartans normally are a bit closer. Actually, much closer.

Since 2011, Ohio State leads the series with Michigan State 4-3 and the total margin of victory over those 7 seasons is 75 points. Not impressed? Exclude the 2017 thrashing and that margin drops to 30 points in 6 meetings — including two one-point wins and a walk-off field goal.

The Buckeyes last three matchups in East Lansing have ended in victories, but all required big plays to finally push them over the edge. Winning on the road is never easy, but playing at Spartan Stadium seems to produce some instant classics for Ohio State.

5. The Game streak on the line

It’s no secret, Ohio State has absolutely dominated Michigan in the last decade when it comes to The Game. The Buckeyes have won each matchup starting with Urban Meyer’s arrival in 2012, and although you may have thought all they’re playing for is pride, recently there’s also been the Big Ten Championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff. This year’s clash, however, has something a little extra to it.

With a win over Michigan in November, Ohio State will have won seven-straight clashes, making it the longest winning streak against Michigan in The Game’s history. The current record of six wins straight was originally set from 2004-2009, but the crystal ball is telling me that it will be broken this fall, along with a head coaching opening in Ann Arbor attached to it.