Ohio State's Big Ten Championship Game rematch at Northwestern next season will be played on a Friday night.
According to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, Northwestern season-ticket holders were informed Tuesday morning that the Wildcats' home game against the Buckeyes – originally scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 19 – will now be played on Friday, Oct. 18, marking the first time since the Big Ten began playing regular-season Friday night games in 2017 that Ohio State will participate in one.
Ohio State confirmed the report later Tuesday morning.
The rescheduling of the game to Friday night will surely be met with mixed reactions, as there have been many vocal opponents of playing college football on Friday nights, arguing that those nights should be reserved for high school football games. Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith previously said in 2017 that he did not "anticipate" that the Buckeyes would play any games on Friday night.
Jerry Snodgrass, the executive director of the Ohio High School Athletic Association, tweeted Tuesday morning that he was "sorry to hear" about the game being moved to Friday night.
Sorry to hear this. Please leave Friday nights to HS Football. Ohio State's 2019 Game at Northwestern to Be Played on Friday Night, Per Report | Eleven Warriors https://t.co/1tsn0C8fYC
— Jerry Snodgrass (@Jerry_Snodgrass) December 18, 2018
Nonetheless, the Buckeyes will be a part of the wave of increased Friday night games when they play at Northwestern's Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois, next season.
The game will follow an open date on both team's schedules.
| DATE | TIME | OPPONENT | LOCATION | TV | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAT, AUG. 31 | TBA | FLORIDA ATLANTIC | OHIO STADIUM (COLUMBUS, OH) | TBA | – |
| SAT, SEP. 7 | TBA | CINCINNATI | OHIO STADIUM (COLUMBUS, OH) | TBA | – |
| SAT, SEP. 14 | TBA | INDIANA | MEMORIAL STADIUM (BLOOMINGTON, IN) | TBA | – |
| SAT, SEP. 21 | TBA | MIAMI (OHIO) | OHIO STADIUM (COLUMBUS, OH) | TBA | – |
| SAT, SEP. 28 | TBA | NEBRASKA | MEMORIAL STADIUM (LINCOLN, NE) | TBA | – |
| SAT, OCT. 5 | TBA | MICHIGAN STATE | OHIO STADIUM (COLUMBUS, OH) | TBA | – |
| FRI, OCT. 18 | TBA | NORTHWESTERN | RYAN FIELD (EVANSTON, IL) | TBA | – |
| SAT, OCT. 26 | TBA | WISCONSIN | OHIO STADIUM (COLUMBUS, OH) | TBA | – |
| SAT, NOV. 9 | TBA | MARYLAND | OHIO STADIUM (COLUMBUS, OH) | TBA | – |
| SAT, NOV. 16 | TBA | RUTGERS | HIGH POINT SOLUTIONS STADIUM (PISCATAWAY, NJ) | TBA | – |
| SAT, NOV. 23 | TBA | PENN STATE | OHIO STADIUM (COLUMBUS, OH) | TBA | – |
| SAT, NOV. 30 | TBA | MICHIGAN | MICHIGAN STADIUM (ANN ARBOR, MI) | TBA | – |
