Ohio State's non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons continues to strengthen.
The Buckeyes and Vanderbilt are scheduling a home-and-home series for the next two seasons. OSU will host the Commodores in 2026 and travel to Vanderbilt for a rematch in 2027.
According to The Field of 68’s Rocco Miller, this year’s game in Columbus is scheduled for Nov. 24.
Ohio State now has five power-conference opponents on its non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 season. Only one will be in Columbus:
- vs. BYU (in Salt Lake City)
- vs. Kansas (CBS Sports Classic, Madison Square Garden)
- at Notre Dame
- at UConn
- vs. Vanderbilt
Jake Diebler said last week that Ohio State intentionally put together a tough non-conference schedule for the upcoming season.
“Our program belongs on the biggest stage, and to do that, you got to play other programs who are on that stage,” Diebler said. “And I think you got to get ready for Big Ten play. There's no doubt about it. That's the bulk of your schedule. And if you roll into Big Ten play without challenging and pushing yourself and facing some adversity early, you're not setting your team up to be successful. So we wanted to be aggressive in scheduling.”
The Buckeyes and Vanderbilt have only matched up twice all-time, as the Commodores beat OSU in both 1988 and 1989.
Vanderbilt went 27-9 last season, its second-most wins in a single season dating back to 1900 (28-6 in 1992-93). A No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament this past season, the Commodores lost to fourth-seeded Nebraska, 74-72, in the second round of March Madness.
Former Ohio State assistant coach Joel Justus, who was Jake Diebler's associate head coach for each of the head coach's two seasons at the helm in Columbus, left OSU to take a job on Mark Byington's Vanderbilt staff in March.
As the home-and-home series against Notre Dame will conclude in 2026, Ohio State has now scheduled two home-and-home series for the next two years. In May, the Buckeyes scheduled a home-and-home with UConn (at UConn in 2026, at OSU in 2027), which is now paired with a home-and-home against Vanderbilt.
