Ohio Football Topic
Topic: Future Non-Conference Opponents
Page: 2 of 6
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TWT
10/16/2022 12:16 PM
No FCS opponent in 2025. I also notice at least 2 P5 opponents out until 2026. I was thinking about it this morning how the schedule is definitely stronger than it was in the middle of the Solich era.
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Andrew Ruck
10/17/2022 12:25 PM
I can't believe I won't see the Thundering Turd in Athens until 2027. Hopefully my current 8th & 10th graders will be a freshman and a junior in Athens!
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Trevor Stephens
11/21/2022 5:52 PM
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have replaced the Ohio Bobcats with the Wagner Seahawks on their 2023 football schedule.

Rutgers was previously scheduled to host the Ohio Bobcats on Sept. 30, 2023. However, the game was not listed on Rutgers’ 2023 schedule that was officially announced today.

The Scarlet Knights and Bobcats signed a contract for their football contest in 2023 back in November of 2016. Rutgers was slated to pay Ohio an $850,000 guarantee for the game, per the copy of the contract.

Rutgers is, however now, contracted to host Ohio on Aug 30, 2025
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Trevor Stephens
9/19/2023 5:24 PM
The Ohio Bobcats will play at the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2025, FBSchedules.com has learned.

Ohio will make the short 80-mile trek from Athens to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Ohio State at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. The Bobcats will receive a $1.9 million guarantee for playing the game, according to a copy of the contract obtained from Ohio University via a state open records request.
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colobobcat66
9/21/2023 7:11 PM
Now will play Marshall in 2028 and 2029 and Texas state in 2027
Wow
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colobobcat66
9/21/2023 7:19 PM
Andrew Ruck wrote:expand_more
I can't believe I won't see the Thundering Turd in Athens until 2027. Hopefully my current 8th & 10th graders will be a freshman and a junior in Athens!
Now 2028 and 2029
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Victory
9/21/2023 8:25 PM
It looks like the 2027 game is still there. It is a new home and home series in 2028 and 2029.
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colobobcat66
9/21/2023 9:35 PM
Victory wrote:expand_more
It looks like the 2027 game is still there. It is a new home and home series in 2028 and 2029.
Sorry I missed that
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Trevor Stephens
2/21/2025 4:32 PM
Kent State 2025 Schedule
08/30 - Merrimack
09/06 - at Texas Tech
09/20 - at Florida State
10/04 - at Oklahoma
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Bobcat1996
3/1/2025 10:28 PM
The schedule Kent is playing is worse than Ohio. Absolutely ridiculous!!
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Victory
3/8/2025 12:50 PM
I would hope that we get more than $500K from UC. When they cancelled with WKU at the same time it came out that UC paid WKU a $500K cancellation fee. Some newspaper or website assumed that our cancellation fee was in that ballpark. But the key difference is that we had already played at UC while WKU had not played a game yet on their contract. The UC game effectively is now a buy game. They SHOULD owe us more than $500K if that's the case. It should be approximately a cancellation fee plus the cost of a buy game. But I have no idea. If we get the same as WKU I actually have to say that's a "breach of fiduciary responsibility".

Ohio's non-conference schedule for decades has almost always been a pay-out game (P5), a pay-in game (FCS), the home end of a home-and-home, and the road end of a home-and-home. We essentially played two buy games when we played UC and didn't know that at the time.

We raised season ticket prices and Ohio season ticket holders are used to 6 home games. But now at some point we either need to play 5 home games, with a second buy game where these might be getting harder to find when P4 play 9 conference games, or use the UC fee to buy a second home game, which probably means two FCS opponents which is something FBS teams almost never do.

We can kick that decision down the road a few times if every year we add a new home-and-home series and always get the home game first. But that extra future road game is always hanging out there further in the future if we do that and we'll have to deal with it someway at some point.
Last Edited: 3/8/2025 12:52:54 PM by Victory
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Trevor Stephens
9/9/2025 10:36 PM
Ohio will host Stonehill at Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio, on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, which will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron. The Bobcats will pay the Skyhawks a $400,000 guarantee for playing the game, according to the copy of the contract.

Stonehill is a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Skyhawks moved up from Division II to the FCS beginning with the 2023 season. Through two games this season, Stonehill is 0-2.


Earlier on Tuesday, the Ohio Bobcats announced a new home-and-home football series with the James Madison Dukes of the Sun Belt Conference. The series will kickoff at Peden Stadium in Athens on Sept. 16, 2028 before concluding at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Va., on Sept. 15, 2035.
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Valley Cat
9/12/2025 7:11 AM
So Ohio would still be in search of an 8/28 game or that week which is week 1. Any rumour? I assume that would be a home game if they could. With an FCS already on the slate and the possibility of that being your home schedule it would be awesome to get someone cool in here. Get to work Slade.
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IceCat76
9/12/2025 9:38 AM
Earlier on Tuesday, the Ohio Bobcats announced a new home-and-home football series with the James Madison Dukes of the Sun Belt Conference. The series will kickoff at Peden Stadium in Athens on Sept. 16, 2028 before concluding at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Va., on Sept. 15, 2035. [/QUOTE]I like that we get the home game first. We should learn from the UC home and home that the second game often doesn't take place.
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M.D.W.S.T
9/12/2025 10:17 AM
IceCat76 wrote:expand_more
Earlier on Tuesday, the Ohio Bobcats announced a new home-and-home football series with the James Madison Dukes of the Sun Belt Conference. The series will kickoff at Peden Stadium in Athens on Sept. 16, 2028 before concluding at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Va., on Sept. 15, 2035.

I like that we get the home game first. We should learn from the UC home and home that the second game often doesn't take place.
2035 is hilarious. At least we got that first game at our place.


I somehow missed OU going to Nebraska next season to face what will likely be a Heisman front-runner Dylan Raiola.
Last Edited: 9/12/2025 10:17:47 AM by M.D.W.S.T
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Tymaster
9/12/2025 10:42 AM
M.D.W.S.T wrote:expand_more
Earlier on Tuesday, the Ohio Bobcats announced a new home-and-home football series with the James Madison Dukes of the Sun Belt Conference. The series will kickoff at Peden Stadium in Athens on Sept. 16, 2028 before concluding at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Va., on Sept. 15, 2035.

I like that we get the home game first. We should learn from the UC home and home that the second game often doesn't take place.
2035 is hilarious. At least we got that first game at our place.


I somehow missed OU going to Nebraska next season to face what will likely be a Heisman front-runner Dylan Raiola.
It made me happy in that it's the first game I've seen scheduled AFTER my retirement. It provided a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.
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BillyTheCat
9/12/2025 10:54 AM
RufusCat09 wrote:expand_more
With all this talk about conference alliances and realignment, it got me thinking about our past non-conference schedules and the Power 5 teams we've played.

Ohio vs Power 5 Teams (since 2005, based on current conference alignment)

ACC 1-5
Big Ten 2-8
Big 12 2-0
PAC-12 N/A
SEC 0-4

Power 5 Wins
Pitt (2005)
Illinois (2006)
Penn State (2012)
Kansas (2016)
Kansas (2017)
If you go back to this Century you can add Minnesota and Kentucky for 7 wins.
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Victory
9/12/2025 11:00 AM
M.D.W.S.T wrote:expand_more
Earlier on Tuesday, the Ohio Bobcats announced a new home-and-home football series with the James Madison Dukes of the Sun Belt Conference. The series will kickoff at Peden Stadium in Athens on Sept. 16, 2028 before concluding at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Va., on Sept. 15, 2035.

I like that we get the home game first. We should learn from the UC home and home that the second game often doesn't take place.
2035 is hilarious. At least we got that first game at our place.


I somehow missed OU going to Nebraska next season to face what will likely be a Heisman front-runner Dylan Raiola.
If we can find a G5 team to play us at home in 2026 and on the road in 2029, presuming the 2nd WVU game counts as the buy game that year, then we successfully would have kicked the can down the road all the way to 2035. We would then need to buy an FCS game in 2027, 2028, and 2029. The extra road game looming out there would be in 2035 and we can schedule a usual between 2030-2034.
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Mike Coleman
9/12/2025 12:26 PM
Cal and NC State open up for next year.

https://www.on3.com/college/florida-gators/news/florida-c... /
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cbarber357
9/13/2025 5:23 PM
M.D.W.S.T wrote:expand_more
Earlier on Tuesday, the Ohio Bobcats announced a new home-and-home football series with the James Madison Dukes of the Sun Belt Conference. The series will kickoff at Peden Stadium in Athens on Sept. 16, 2028 before concluding at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Va., on Sept. 15, 2035.

I like that we get the home game first. We should learn from the UC home and home that the second game often doesn't take place.
2035 is hilarious. At least we got that first game at our place.


I somehow missed OU going to Nebraska next season to face what will likely be a Heisman front-runner Dylan Raiola.
***** I think you meant Heisman frontrunner Parker Navarro
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GoCats105
9/23/2025 6:23 PM
John Canzano of the Oregonian reporting that the PAC 12 is looking for scheduling partners for 2026 and beyond. The conference will likely stay at 8 teams for now, playing 7 conference games and 5 non-conference games. Not surprisingly, they won't be scheduling non-conference games with the Mountain West, but are interested in looking eastward at the Sun Belt, MAC and Conference USA.

I would love, love, love the opportunity for Ohio to play more games out west. Would give me an excuse to take the camper van down to Corvallis - not that I really needed one.
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shabamon
9/24/2025 9:29 AM
GoCats105 wrote:expand_more
John Canzano of the Oregonian reporting that the PAC 12 is looking for scheduling partners for 2026 and beyond. The conference will likely stay at 8 teams for now, playing 7 conference games and 5 non-conference games. Not surprisingly, they won't be scheduling non-conference games with the Mountain West, but are interested in looking eastward at the Sun Belt, MAC and Conference USA.

I would love, love, love the opportunity for Ohio to play more games out west. Would give me an excuse to take the camper van down to Corvallis - not that I really needed one.
Well of the new Pac-12, Utah State is the only team with an opening on 9/12. We could schedule a game with someone in October, but that likely means we are idle on 9/12, which would suck. The only MAC team that is also open on 9/12 is Kent who only has one non-conference game accounted for. We will host Kent at some point in 2026, but they probably would want to keep 9/12 earmarked for the flexibility of scheduling a non-conference game.

Call up Utah State and get it in the books.
Last Edited: 9/24/2025 9:30:06 AM by shabamon
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BillyTheCat
9/24/2025 11:54 AM
RufusCat09 wrote:expand_more
With all this talk about conference alliances and realignment, it got me thinking about our past non-conference schedules and the Power 5 teams we've played.

Ohio vs Power 5 Teams (since 2005, based on current conference alignment)

ACC 1-5
Big Ten 2-8
Big 12 2-0
PAC-12 N/A
SEC 0-4

Power 5 Wins
Pitt (2005)
Illinois (2006)
Penn State (2012)
Kansas (2016)
Kansas (2017)

Go to the turn of the century. We beat Minnesota in 2000
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CatsUp
9/24/2025 2:55 PM
BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
With all this talk about conference alliances and realignment, it got me thinking about our past non-conference schedules and the Power 5 teams we've played.

Ohio vs Power 5 Teams (since 2005, based on current conference alignment)

ACC 1-5
Big Ten 2-8
Big 12 2-0
PAC-12 N/A
SEC 0-4

Power 5 Wins
Pitt (2005)
Illinois (2006)
Penn State (2012)
Kansas (2016)
Kansas (2017)

Go to the turn of the century. We beat Minnesota in 2000
Iowa State (2023 Big 12 win); WVU (2025 Big 12 win)
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GoCats105
9/24/2025 3:06 PM
Perhaps even more pertinent to the topic, and something discussed at length on this board a while back, the SEC has revealed their 9-game conference schedule. Some schools, like Kentucky and Missouri, will need to adjust their future non-conference games. It will be interesting to see who gets dropped and what kind of openings there will be.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/46355065...

https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/kentucky /

https://fbschedules.com/ncaa/missouri /
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