Ohio State has a long and illustrious history among the college football elite. You could make the argument that it is THE best college football program of all time. At least, it’s easily a top-five blue blood. The Buckeyes’ first season began in 1890, and they’ve been to a slew of bowl games, and have scheduled many intersectional non-conference games to fill out the almost 130 years of scheduling.
But there are some teams in the FBS (formally Division I), that the Buckeyes have yet to play. Now, to be fair, some of those teams are newer to college football’s top division, but there are some others that you may be surprised have never matched up with Ohio State. Also, four of the teams are confirmed as future opponents, so the list will shrink in the upcoming years.
We’re going to run through all of them for you, broken down by conference.
Next … The American Athletic Conference
The American Athletic Conference
East Carolina
Memphis
Temple
USF
What might be the most surprising here is Ohio State never matching up with USF. Based out of Tampa, there are a ton of alumni in the area, and getting some more eyes on that area for recruiting wouldn’t be a bad idea. The Buckeyes welcomed UCF in 2012, but never a meeting with the Bulls. It’s also a little shocking nothing has materialized with Temple.
Next … Conference USA
Conference USA
Charlotte
FIU
Louisiana Tech
Middle Tennessee
North Texas
Old Dominion
Southern Miss
UTEP
UTSA
Western Kentucky*
Ohio State has actually only played four teams from Conference USA (Rice, UAB, Marshall, and Florida Atlantic). It’s not all that surprising because there’s no geographical link, and there’s really no benefit to playing a non-Power Five school from outside of the region other than to fill out a schedule.
* Ohio State is set to host Western Kentucky in 2023
Next … The Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference
Ball State*
Central Michigan
The Buckeyes have a long history of playing MAC schools because the footprint of the conference overlaps the Big Ten. Also, six of the twelve schools are in Ohio. Still, no Ball State or Central Michigan is hard to believe. We have a feeling both will eventually be crossed off the list.
* Ohio State is set to host Ball State in 2026
Next … The Mountain West
The Mountain West
Boise State
Colorado State
Nevada
New Mexico
Utah State
The most appealing matchup here would be Boise State. That one needs to happen, but it’s unlikely the Broncos would just come to Columbus to play, and Ohio State probably wouldn’t agree to do a home-and-home against a non-Power Five squad.
Next … The Sun Belt
The Sun Belt
Appalachian State
Arkansas State*
Coastal Carolina
Georgia Southern
Georgia State
Louisiana
Louisiana-Monroe
South Alabama
Texas State
Much like Conference USA, there’s no real incentive for Ohio State to play any of these schools. The SEC has beat up on the Sun Belt pretty regularly because of it being in the same geographical footprint, but to date, the Buckeyes have played just one school from the Sun Belt (Troy in 2008). The most appealing game here would be against Appalachian State because … well — Michigan.
* Ohio State is set to host Arkansas State in 2022
Next … The Independents
The Independents
Liberty
UConn*
UMass
There aren’t many independent programs left, but there are still a few. Ohio State has matched up with all but three of them.
* Ohio State is set to host UConn in 2025
Next … The ACC
The ACC
Georgia Tech
Wake Forest
Now we’re in the Power Five conferences, and these are the programs that might shock you the most. How Ohio State and Georgia Tech haven’t matched up is crazy with how long both have been around, and Atlanta an appealing and easy drive for the fan base.
Next … The Big 12
The Big 12
Iowa State
Kansas
Again, kind of a shocker here, but this is likely a result of both the Cyclones and Jayhawks being a historical bottom feeder. That doesn’t give either much of a chance of matching up with an Ohio State that is usually playing in some big stakes bowl games.
Next … The SEC
The SEC
Mississippi State
Ole Miss
With all the postseason history between the Big Ten and SEC, it’s hard to fathom that Ohio State hasn’t played every team in sweet tea and grits country. But somehow, both participants in the Egg Bowl haven’t had the pleasure of going toe-to-toe with the Buckeyes.
That’s it. That’s all 39 teams Ohio State hasn’t ever played in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Remember, there are a total of 130 teams currently in the FBS, meaning there have been contests between 91 of those to date. The Buckeyes have played every team in the Pac-12, and of course, the Big Ten when it comes to Power Five conferences.
Which team would you most like to see the Buckeyes play in the upcoming years that we haven’t seen before?
