For the second straight year, the Ohio State Club Football program has three NCAA JV teams on its regular season schedule.
The Buckeyes went 2-1 against NCAA JV teams a year ago, defeating Ohio Northern 46-7 and Denison 30-3 before falling to Wittenberg, 27-7. Ohio State is set to take on ONU and Wittenberg again in 2024, and has replaced Denison with Ohio Wesleyan to round out the NCAA opponents. The matchup against the Bishops on Monday, Oct. 28 will be the first in program history.
Ohio State is slated to take on just three other NCFA programs in the regular season. Guaranteed divisional games against Toledo and Wright State round out weeks three and four for the Buckeyes, while a first-ever trip to UW-Milwaukee completes the club schedule for the regular season.
What follows is a quick guide to Ohio State’s regular season opponents in 2024.
Week 1 – Cincinnati United Prep Academy
When: Saturday, Sept. 14 – 3:30 p.m.
Where: Home – Lincoln Tower Park
Formerly known as Dohn Prep, Cincinnati United Prep figures to field a competitive roster to open the season. Coach Jared Ward is rebranding with Cincinnati United after Dohn Prep shut down its postgraduate program. Cincinnati United is likely to feature a handful of talented prospects that played for Dohn Prep in 2023, as well as some talented freshmen.
Last year, Dohn Prep took on a familiar Ohio State foe in Wright State and held a one-point lead in the second half before the game was eventually called off due to severe weather. Cincinnati United is the first prep program that Ohio State has scheduled, and should provide a stiff test for the Buckeyes to open the season.
Week 2 – Ohio Northern University JV Polar Bears
When: Sunday, Sept. 22 – 2 p.m.
Where: Away – Dial-Roberson Stadium
Last season marked the first time the Buckeyes and Polar Bears met on the football field. Playing on a weeknight for the first time in team history, Ohio State exploded for 39 first-half points en route to a 46-7 victory. The Buckeyes threw for 253 yards and rushed for another 143 in the win.
The Polar Bears enter 2024 under new leadership, as Andrew Fries has taken over as head coach of the Ohio Northern program. Last year, ONU’s varsity team finished 4-6 while its JV team finished the season 2-3 with wins over Trine and Bluffton.
Week 3 – Toledo Rockets
When: Sunday, Sept. 29 – 6 OR 7 p.m.
Where: Away – The Glass Bowl
One of just two opponents in the NCFA’s Great Lakes East Division, Toledo marks the first game against an NCFA opponent for Ohio State in 2024. The Buckeyes have won the first three matchups against the Rockets since Toledo joined the league in 2021, winning by scores of 51-14 in 2021, 51-20 in 2022 and 66-9 in 2023. In last season’s matchup, the Buckeyes broke the program record for passing touchdowns in a single game as Spencer Moore tossed seven in the victory.
The Rockets have accumulated a 12-7 overall record since joining the league three years ago, with their best season coming in 2022 when they finished with a 5-2 mark. Toledo is set to return a number of key players in 2024, including quarterback Brandon Motter, who enters his third season as the Rockets starting signal caller.
Week 4 – Wright State Raiders
When: Sunday, Oct. 6 – Noon
Where: Home – Lincoln Tower Park
Ohio State’s most recognizable opponent and other division foe, Wright State is set to travel to Columbus for the first time since the 2021 Great American Conference title game. The Buckeyes have played the Raiders every season dating back to 2012 when Ohio State joined the NCFA as an official member. Ohio State is 12-1 against WSU in that time, with the lone loss coming in 2014. The Buckeyes won last season’s matchup, 48-0.
The Raiders put together a 3-3 campaign in 2023 after a tough 2-5 season in 2022. After back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Toledo last season, Wright State rattled off three straight victories, defeating Oakland and UW-Milwaukee by a combined score of 59-6 before receiving a forfeit win over Pittsburgh. Wright State is led by Markee Zrnich, a former standout player for the Raiders, who enters his third season as the head coach.
Week 6 – UW-Milwaukee Panthers
When: Saturday, Oct. 19 – 7 p.m. CST
Where: Away – Franklin (WI) High School
Another first, the Buckeyes are scheduled to travel west to UW-Milwaukee to take on the Panthers for the first time on the road. The two teams have officially only met once on the gridiron, a 27-24 Ohio State victory in Columbus to close out the 2014 season. The two teams were scheduled to meet again in 2019, but the game was ultimately canceled and forfeited by the Panthers.
Last season, the Panthers posted a 1-4 record, with their lone win coming against division opponent Oakland. In 2021 and 2022, Milwaukee went a combined 6-3 and were one win away from a conference title in 2021 before falling to Oakland in the conference championship game. The Panthers are the last NCFA team the Buckeyes are scheduled to face until the Great Lakes Conference championship game, which would be held on either Nov. 16 or 17, should Ohio State be eligible.
Week 7 – Ohio Wesleyan University JV Bishops
When: Monday, Oct. 28 – 7 p.m.
Where: Away – Selby Stadium
Just the second weeknight game in Ohio State Club Football history, the Buckeyes will make the trip up OH-315 to Selby Stadium to take on the Ohio Wesleyan Bishops JV program on a Monday night. It will be the first ever meeting between the two teams and the fifth different NCAA program Ohio State Club Football has faced in its 15-year history, joining ONU, Denison, Mount Union and Wittenberg.
The Bishops are coming off of a 5-5 varsity season in 2023, and are entering their 13th season under head coach Tom Watts, who has compiled a 66-46 varsity record in his time at Ohio Wesleyan.
Week 8 – Wittenberg University JV Tigers
When: Sunday, Nov. 3 – 1 p.m.
Where: Away – Edwards-Maurer Field
Ohio State will close its regular season against another NCAA JV program and will have a chance to compete against the only team that handed them a regular season loss last year. The Buckeyes dropped a tough 27-7 contest to the Tigers in 2023, in what was the first ever matchup between the two programs. Ohio State jumped out to a 7-0 lead and was tied with the Tigers 7-7 at halftime before turnovers and special teams miscues doomed the Buckeyes in the second half.
The Tigers are coming off of a 7-3 varsity campaign in 2023 and enter their third season under veteran head coach James Collins. The former Capital, Dubuque and Saginaw Valley State head coach has compiled a 147-141 record over 27 seasons. He also spent time at Army and Dayton as an assistant.
Postseason
Should Ohio State qualify for the postseason, the Buckeyes would return to action on either Nov. 16 or 17 to compete in the Great Lakes Conference title game against the West Division champion. The West Division is made up of UW-Milwaukee, Oakland, Michigan State and Loyola Chicago. Last season, the Buckeyes thumped then-No. 1 Michigan State 52-0 in the conference title game to win their fourth straight conference crown.
The Great Lakes Conference champion would automatically qualify for the NCFA Playoffs, which are set to take place Nov. 23 with a time and location yet to be announced. Following a week off, the 2024 NCFA National Championship Game is scheduled for Dec. 7, also with a time and location yet to be announced.
The Buckeyes have qualified for the postseason each year since 2018 and have appeared in each of the last four NCFA national title games, winning it all in 2019 and 2021.
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