Both of Ohio State’s 2026 non-conference home games will kick off in the early afternoon.
Ohio State’s Sept. 5 season opener vs. Ball State will kick off at 12:30 p.m. and will be televised by Big Ten Network. Its Sept. 19 non-conference finale vs. Kent State at Ohio Stadium will be a noon game on FOX.
Kickoff times and TV networks are now set for four of Ohio State’s 12 games this season. Ohio State’s Nov. 28 regular-season finale against Michigan at Ohio Stadium will also be a noon game televised by FOX, while its Sept. 12 road non-conference game at Texas will be a 7:30 p.m. game on ABC.
That means at least three of Ohio State’s seven home games this season will be early-afternoon contests. That said, we know that at least one of Ohio State’s home games won’t be an early afternoon game, as Ohio State announced Wednesday that the Buckeyes’ Oct. 10 contest vs. Maryland – which will also be its homecoming game – will kick off between 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. (network to be determined).
Ohio State will also play home games this season against Illinois (Sept. 27), Oregon (Nov. 7) and Northwestern (Nov. 14), while it will play road games at Iowa (Oct. 3), Indiana (Oct. 17), USC (Oct. 31) and Nebraska (Nov. 21). Kickoff times for those games have not yet been announced.
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 5 | Ball State | Ohio Stadium | 12:30 p.m. | BTN |
| Sept. 12 | Texas | Darrell K. Royal Stadium (Austin, Texas) | 7:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Sept. 19 | Kent State | Ohio Stadium | Noon | FOX |
| Sept. 26 | Illinois | Ohio Stadium | TBD | TBD |
| Oct. 3 | Iowa | Kinnick Stadium (Iowa City, Iowa) | TBD | TBD |
| Oct. 10 | Maryland | Ohio Stadium | Between 3:30-8 p.m. | TBD |
| Oct. 17 | Indiana | Memorial Stadium (Bloomington, Indiana) | TBD | TBD |
| Oct. 31 | USC | L.A. Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles) | TBD | TBD |
| Nov. 7 | Oregon | Ohio Stadium | TBD | TBD |
| Nov. 14 | Northwestern | Ohio Stadium | TBD | TBD |
| Nov. 21 | Nebraska | Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Nebraska) | TBD | TBD |
| Nov. 28 | Michigan | Ohio Stadium | Noon | FOX |
