COLUMBUS – Ohio State’s 2017 season-opener at Indiana will be played on Thursday, Aug. 31 instead of Saturday, Sept. 2, the schools and the Big Ten Conference announced on Tuesday.
2017 Ohio State Football Schedule
Aug. 31 – at Indiana
Sept. 9 – Oklahoma
Sept. 16 – Army
Sept. 23 – vs UNLV
Sept. 30 – at Rutgers
Oct. 7 – Maryland
Oct. 14 – at Nebraska
Oct. 21 – Off
Oct. 28 – Penn State
Nov. 4 – at Iowa
Nov. 11 – Michigan State
Nov. 18 – Illinois
Nov. 25 – at Michigan
Dec. 3 – Big Ten Championship Game
This will be the seventh time Ohio State will open a season on a day other than Saturday, most recently last year, when the Buckeyes played at Virginia Tech in prime time on Labor Day and beat the Hokies 42-24.
It will be the third Thursday evening game, the previous two being season-openers at Ohio Stadium: In 2010, Ohio State beat Marshall, 45-7, and beat Wyoming 24-10 in 1997.
Ohio State has also opened the season three times as part of the “Kickoff Classic” games at the Meadowlands/Giants Stadium complex, in East Rutherford, N.J.
This will be the first time the Buckeyes have opened their season against a conference opponent since 1976 (Michigan State).