OSU opener set for Sept. 3

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COLUMBUS — Ohio State will open its football season on Sept. 3 at Illinois and its rivalry game against Michigan will be Oct. 24 at Ohio Stadium on a revised schedule, which was announced Wednesday morning.

The game against Illinois will be on a Thursday night and will be the first game of the season in the Big Ten.

The Oct. 24 game against Michigan will be the first time since 1942 that the Buckeyes and their biggest rival have not matched up against each other in the final week of the regular season.

A tenth game, on Sept. 19 at Purdue, was also added to Ohio State’s schedule.

OSU’s revised schedule: Sept. 3 — at Illinois; Sept. 12 — Rutgers; Sept. 19 — at Purdue; Sept. 26 — Indiana; Oct. 3 — bye; Oct. 10 — Nebraska; Oct. 17 — at Michigan State; Oct. 24 — Michigan; Oct. 31 — at Maryland; Nov. 7 — at Penn State; Nov. 14 — bye; Nov. 21 — Iowa; Dec. 5 — Big Ten Championship Game.

Ohio State originally was scheduled to open its season Sept. 5 against Bowling Green and then go to Oregon on Sept. 12. But those games and a Sept. 19 game against Buffalo were canceled when the Big Ten announced in July it would play only conference games this season.

During a Tuesday teleconference with Ohio State’s 2020 captains, some of those players said changing the date of the Michigan game would not be a problem for them.

“With the uncertainty of the season right now, I’m more concerned with playing them at all,” OSU center Josh Myers said. “Of course, with the tradition of The Game, I would love for it to be the last game of the season. I’d also love to have a normal college football schedule. I’d love to play Oregon. So there are a lot of things that are different about this year.”

Quarterback Justin Fields said, “I don’t really care when we play the team up north. I just want to play them.”

Offensive lineman Wyatt Davis said, “It really doesn’t matter to me when we play them. Obviously the tradition of The Game is very important to us, but it doesn’t matter to me.”

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith cautioned that the revised schedule is not a guarantee there will be a football season.

“This is not a final decision that there will be an athletics season. It is the next phase in our responsible planning process with the Big Ten Conference to be prepared if we are able to have an athletics season. The final decision will be made in the coming weeks in consultation with local, state and federal authorities,” he said in a statement.

Appearing on a Big Ten Network program to announce the football schedules of all 14 conference teams, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren said, “There’s no guarantee that we will have fall sports or football season, but we’re doing everything we possibly can that if we’re so blessed to be able to have fall sports, that things are organized and done in a very methodical and professional manner.”

Ohio State #1 Quaterback Justin Fields heads upfield as Michigan Football #97 defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson (left) and Michigan Football #19 defensive lineman Kwity Paye trail on the play at Michigan Stadium on the campus of Michigan University November 30th, 2019 Photo By Don Speck
https://www.galioninquirer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2020/08/web1_Ohio-State-vs-Mich-DS11-.jpgOhio State #1 Quaterback Justin Fields heads upfield as Michigan Football #97 defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson (left) and Michigan Football #19 defensive lineman Kwity Paye trail on the play at Michigan Stadium on the campus of Michigan University November 30th, 2019 Photo By Don Speck
Game against Michigan scheduled for October

By Jim Naveau

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