Wow! Ohio is one of three schools that gets the entire Akron/Kent State/Buffalo pod. Definitely the weakest of the pods, so that’s both an edge and a bonus. Ohio also gets a creampuff MAC home slate of EMU, Ball State, Akron and Buffalo. Ohio sure has had a lot of favors fall into place for the league office the last few years when it comes to scheduling.

2024 Away: SYRACUSE, KENTUCKY, Central Michigan, Toledo, Kent State, Miami
2024 Home: SOUTH ALABAMA, MORGAN STATE, Eastern Michigan, Akron, Buffalo, Ball State

Is it too early... is it...

@ Syracuse: (L) Hated everything about this game when I saw it. Hate it more with Honda McCord and a motivated Fran Brown in his 1st game as a head coach. Week 0. On the road. In that dome. Yuck. Still might go. Who doesn't love a nice drive through upstate NY in the fall?
@ Kentucky: (L) They play UGA the week before, and Ole Miss the week after... so... could be a chance to catch them asleep, but this is definitely circled as a MUST win for them
@ CMU: (W)
@ Toledo: (L) Toledo will have more trouble replacing Finn than we will Rourke... but Candle seems to just churn out guys.
@ Kent State: (W)
@ Miami: (L) Grandpa Gabbert just won't go away
South Alabama: (W) Love Major Applewhite. South Alabama has some turnover, but they'll be a tough test. Still think OU wins the home opener.
Morgan State: (W)
EMU: (W)
Akron: (W)
Buffalo: (W)
Ball State: (W)

Gimme the kool-aid, boys. 8-4 (6-2)...

The defense won us so many games last year, it's truly hard to guess where this season could end up... BUT I think we'll be in the MACC race... probably lose one vs Akron or EMU that knocks us out, winning 7 of the last 8 doesn't feel very Ohio Football in November of us, but I think it will be a tough (slightly down)(will never see a defense that tough, maybe ever again)... but competitive season.

9 wins? 6 straight bowl wins? Just as likely as 4-8.

No East and West next year. Toledo will be just as important as Miami.

I'll be surprised if Gabbert is anywhere close to 100% next year. That was a nasty injury. We experienced the drop-off with Rourke having what was advertised as a good recovery from his knee. Granted, different injury, but Gabbert's looked very serious.

I hate to see stuff like that happen to good players, but I'd be surprised if he even sees the field early on, or is anything like his former self.

Kids built like a 6'1" David Njoku. He's been posting pictures of himself squatting for months. I messaged him back in maybe November, early December and was like BOWL GAME READY? and he messaged me back... "MAYBE!".

Think he's been ready to get after it for a while.

Your comment on Kentucky got me wondering. Stoops' contract is one of the biggest fleeces in modern sports history where he gets an extra year tacked on to his contract every year the Wildcats make a bowl game. Since the SEC refuses to add a 9th conference game, you can almost pencil in 3 cupcake games for UK to go along with their annual rivalry game against Louisville.

Since Stoops took over in 2013, UK is 28-2 in non-conference games that don't include Louisville. That folks is how you put Ws on your record and get yourself to bowl eligibility and that's exactly what you should be doing as a historical bottom feeder in the SEC.

The two losses:

(2013) Stoops' first ever game as UK head coach on a neutral field in Nashville against Western Kentucky (WKU finished 8-4 under Bobby Petrino).

(2016) Lost by nine in the season opener to Southern Miss where the Golden Eagles scored 34 unanswered behind QB Nick Mullens to pull out the win (UK still went on to finish with 6 wins, including an upset over #11 Louisville).

I just got an email with the 2024 schedule. Akron on 9/28 seems to look like Homecoming to me, which is earlier than it's been in some time. It's either that or 10/26 vs Buffalo, which seems rather late to me.

No game at all the first weekend of October seems kinda strange to me, but I guess that's the way it is this time around.

Last year they announced homecoming before the opponent was known. This year it still isn't known. I wonder if they are blindsided by two undesirable options.

Answers and solves that problem.

First time since 2008 Homecoming is in September. At least this time it's a conference game.

I hear ya, but it's 1 of 134 jobs. *shrug*

Thanks!