The top three are obvious, but the order is more tricky.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about this season’s marquee matchups. Whether they feature the Buckeyes, other Big Ten schools, or major teams across the country. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Game of the Year” articles here.
This week at Land-Grant Holy Land, we have been looking at the biggest games of the upcoming regular season. Our writers have analyzed every Ohio State game, factoring in the talent comparisons, overarching storylines, and much more. So I wanted to put a bow on this theme week by putting a decidedly LGHL spin on things and ranking every game specifically by how entertaining I think they are going to be.
Now, what makes a game entertaining varies, and in many cases, it is impossible to predict or even describe. There is often simply just a certain je ne sais quoi that takes a good, or even great, game and turns it into an all-time banger.
College football is the greatest sport in the world, in large part, because of the chaos that regularly ensues on any given Saturday, so while Buckeye games tend not to be nearly as madcap as some others, there will be at least a little element of the chaos quotient in my picks.
So, without further ado, here are my preseason Ohio State game entertainment rankings.
No. 12: Grambling State | Sept. 6 in Columbus
With all due respect to the long legacy of football success at the school, this is an early-season game against an FCS squad. Hopefully, the entertainment is limited to an explosive first half (or even just first quarter) where the starters go off, and then we get to watch the young, talented backups get their opportunities.
No. 11: Ohio | Sept. 13 in Columbus
This one should be one hell of a barnburner. Two schools separated by only 75 miles that have fought over the word “The” for decades. This non-conference matchup will have massive implications for in-state recruiting, and perhaps more importantly, Ohioan bragging rights. This should be off-the-charts enterta… no, sorry. I tried to come up with a reason for this one to be compelling, but I just couldn’t commit to the bit. See Grambling State entry for a similar vibe to this one.
No. 10: Rutgers | Nov. 22 in Columbus
I honestly felt kind of bad putting this game so low. We know that Greg Schiano will always have his team ready to play, especially against Ohio State. His defense will be tough, and there will undoubtedly be some sort of entertaining trick plays sprinkled into his game plan.
This one will also be the Buckeyes’ Senior Day, so there very well might be some emotional hangover that creeps its way into the contest, and with Michigan looming the following weekend, there is trap-game potential.
But while Rutgers should be a competent team, and might play OSU close, the chances of it being in an entertaining fashion are slim. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Rutgers has the third-worst chance to beat Ohio State, I’m just saying that I don’t see this game being all that aesthetically pleasing.
No. 9: Minnesota | Oct. 4 in Columbus
Look, anytime you’ve got P.J. Fleck in a game spouting off his special little songs about Michael rowing his boat ashore or whatever, there is the possibility of at least a little bit of entertainment. Like Rutgers, I think that the Golden Gophers will be a solid, middle-of-the-pack Big Ten squad, but I expect their style of play will be far more interesting to watch.
They should have one of the best defenses in the country, let alone the B1G, this season, so if you like defensive football, there could be some fireworks on display in early October.
No. 8: Wisconsin | Oct. 18 in Madison
I don’t expect Wisconsin to be all that good this season. When we do our season predictions, I will almost certainly have them behind both Rutgers and Minnesota. But, they are placed higher on my entertainment rankings because the game is on Camp Randall, which always delivers an excellent show, and this might be the last time that the Buckeyes get to face Luke Fickell as the head Badger.
If things go belly-up for Coach Fick this season, it might end up being a fairly short tenure in Madison for him. Obviously, I hope that’s not the case, but he’s 12-13 in his first two seasons with the squad and 8-10 in conference. That is not what folks in dairy country expect from their football team.
So, if Wisconsin doesn’t make a bowl game for the second year in a row, or even if they just go 6-6 or 7-5, I think there will be some calls to replace Fickell. So, for those extra emotional reasons, I’m going to give this one a higher spot than I probably would otherwise.
No. 7: UCLA | Nov. 15 in Columbus
UCLA is not going to be all that good this year, but it will be the first time that Ohio State has welcomed a West Coast team to the Horseshoe as a conference foe. Also, the Bruins will likely be led by former five-star quarterback and Tennessee transfer Nico Iamaleava, so it will be interesting to see if he brings any insight from the 42-17 playoff beatdown into the game.
No. 6: Purdue | Nov. 8 in West Lafayette
It’s Ohio State vs. a bad Boilermaker team in Ross-Ade Stadium; what more do I need to say? There is always the possibility that Purdue makes things weird, and therefore entertaining, but even if they don’t, I will still take an immense amount of satisfaction in the Buckeyes beating the doors off of those train lovers for all of their past offenses.
No. 5: Washington | Sept. 27 in Seattle
The last time Ohio State went west for a Big Ten game, it did not go that well. While I don’t expect the Huskies to be as good as the Oregon Ducks were last year, cross-country travel does have the ability to throw off the normal equilibrium of a game.
While, again, I don’t anticipate Washington contending for a Big Ten crown this season, I think you always have to be on upset alert when going into Husky Stadium. Despite seating just over 70,000 fans, it has a reputation for having one of the best atmospheres in college football.
So, between the weird timezone changes, the game coming on the heels of what should be two cupcakes, and UW’s rabid fanbase, this has the makings of being a really fun game to watch.
No. 4: Illinois | Oct. 11 in Champaign
The Battle for the Illibuck is back, baby! While this might be controversial in some longtime Big Ten-fan circles, I love watching Bert… Bret Bielema’s teams play. They are always incredibly well-coached and have a way of making every team play to their style.
Quarterback Luke Altmyer has a really impressive 2024 season, throwing for 2,717 yards and 22 touchdowns, and he will have his favorite target back as Illinois’ single-season receiving TD record-holder Pat Bryant will be back after racking up 54 catches for 984 yards and 10 TDs in 2024.
Of course, any Bert team will come with a stout defense as well, so with this game being played on the road, with the Illini very possibly being undefeated, there should be a lot of excitement for this one, and I am really looking forward to watching it.
No. 3: Michigan | Nov. 29 in Ann Arbor
Now things are getting serious. Before you even opened this article, you knew what the top three would be; you just didn’t know which order I would put them in. I honestly went back and forth about where to put The Game; it was always going to be first or third, but I’m sticking with third because I think my personal nerves will be too on edge to fully appreciate the entertainment value of the contest.
Yes, Bryce Underwood’s presence could make the Wolverine offense more exciting than it has been in recent years, and the contrasting styles of play can make things interesting, but the fact that the Buckeyes haven’t beaten their rivals since 2019 will almost certainly have my stomach doing flips the entire time.
Until order is restored to the world and OSU is back in the dominant driver’s seat in this rivalry, all of the inherent entertainment value that comes with the greatest rivalry in sports is tempered by the fact that I am probably going to be faaaaaar too anxious to appreciate it.
No. 2: Texas | Aug. 30 in Columbus
Putting aside all of the obvious entertainment value that comes from a matchup between two non-conference bluebloods who just met in the College Football Playoff semifinals a season ago, this game has the extra excitement of being the season opener. That means that all of our seven-plus months of college football withdrawal will have us chomping at the bit for kickoff at 12 noon E.T. on Saturday, Aug. 30.
That might have been enough to slot this game into a top-two spot, regardless of what else was at play, but when you factor in Arch Manning’s first start as Texas’ full-time quarterback with Steve Sarkisian’s high-tempo, RPO-heavy offense, the game should be a ton of fun to watch.
Sark and Day are two of the most exciting offensive minds in the sport, so seeing them go at it again so quickly after the Cotton Bowl should be a treat, especially since both coaches will have a ton of new pieces to play with.
I expect some explosive plays from both sides, as they each will have plenty of time to scheme up new concepts that their opponent won’t have any film on. This is what we want from non-conference Power 5-on-Power 5 matchups. Get ready for an absolute barnburner in Week 1.
No. 1: Penn State | Nov. 1 in Columbus
I am on record as saying that I will believe that Penn State can be an actual contender in the Big Ten and CFP when I actually see it, because I don’t believe James Franklin has it in him to get his team over the hump… however, there were a lot of people saying the exact same thing about Ryan Day just a season ago. So, if the Nits are going to follow in OSU’s footsteps, getting a win in Columbus to open the final month of the regular season is how you would want to do it.
While that alone would make the game must-see-TV, when you factor in that Jim Knowles bolted from Columbus following the national title game to become PSU’s defensive coordinator, there is obviously extra intrigue at play in this one. Will Knowles have the insight advantage, having worked so closely with Day and Brian Hartline over the years? Or will it be the other way around?
Ohio native Drew Allar is now a senior for Penn State, and this will be his last opportunity to get revenge over his homestate school that never made him a priority. If the PSU signalcaller can go out with a win over the Buckeyes, it would be an impressive feather in his cap as he leads the Nittany Lions toward a potential Big Ten title and College Football Playoff run.
Because this game comes in November, a loss to PSU would be much more devastating than one to Texas (while, obviously, neither would necessarily eliminate the Buckeyes from playoff consideration). So, because of that, I’m giving Penn State the entertainment edge for this season.
So, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment of the schedule? Or am I completely wrong in one or 12 regards? Let me know what you think in the comments below.