Ohio State-Texas Matchup Shows Schools Embrace Tough Nonconference Games

Top Nonconference Games Help Generate Revenue

The marquee nonleague home games are a boon financially to Ohio State, as well. For instance, Bjork said Ohio State generates about $4.5 million in gross ticket sales revenue for a home game against a lower-level Division I or FCS program compared with between $17 million and $20 million when it hosts a school such as Texas. Ohio State has to spend more than a $1 million to host an FCS or Group of Six program, as well.

For the marquee games, Ohio State generates more ancillary revenue such as concessions, parking and merchandise and can command a higher premium for in-game sponsors. All told, Bjork estimates Ohio State earns at least $20 million more for a marquee home game against a team such as Texas compared with hosting an FCS opponent.

“It’s a staggering financial difference,” Bjork said.

Texas, meanwhile, has a similar scheduling philosophy. The Longhorns had home and home series with Notre Dame in 2015 and 2016, USC in 2017 and 2018 and Alabama in 2022 and 2023 when the Longhorns were in the Big 12. They also played LSU in 2019 at home and were set to face the Tigers on the road in 2020, but that game was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Texas played at Michigan in 2024, and the teams will meet again next year in Austin. The Longhorns are scheduled to play Notre Dame in 2028 and 2029, as well. At the SEC media days in July, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters that “we’ll see” when asked about whether the Longhorns will face the Irish, but Notre Dame athletics director Pete Bevacqua later told The Athletic’s Pete Sampson that he speaks frequently with Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte and that “I think this series will definitely be played.”

Some Teams Choose Easier Nonconference Schedules

Other schools have different approaches. This year, each team in the ACC, Big 12 and SEC has at least one nonconference game against a Power 4 opponent or Notre Dame, while the Big Ten has four programs (Indiana, Nebraska, Penn State and Washington) that do not face a Power 4 team in the nonconference schedule.

Indiana, the reigning national champion, has among the easiest nonleague slates in the nation, opening at home against North Texas, Howard and Western Kentucky. The Hoosiers also recently cancelled a scheduled home and home series with Notre Dame that was set for 2030 and 2031. Still, coach Curt Cignetti last year defended IU’s nonconference scheduling after pulling out of a home and home series with Virginia.

“We figured we would just adopt the SEC’s scheduling philosophy, you know,” Cignetti told reporters. “Some people don’t like it. I’m more focused on those nine conference games.”

The SEC is now in the same boat as the Big Ten when it comes to conference schedules. For the first time this year, the SEC has a nine-game conference schedule, up from eight in previous years, which reduces the nonleague slate from four to three games. But every team in the SEC except for Oklahoma is facing a program from the FCS, including Texas, which defeated Texas State 59-7 in its opener last Saturday.

The Big Ten and Big 12 also play nine conference games, while the ACC is adopting a nine-game league slate starting next year, up from eight previously. This year, twelve ACC teams will play nine league games, while the other five have eight ACC games plus two or more games against Power 4 opponents.

The elite nonconference games are usually scheduled several years in advance, so the dearth of such marquee matchups are in part due to the CFP only having four teams until expanding to 12 in 2024. As such, a nonconference loss could hurt a program’s chances of making the playoff.

CFP And ESPN Discuss Potential Expansion

This week, the CFP announced it began a media rights discussion with ESPN and would evaluate potentially expanding the field to 24 teams. Conference commissioners and athletics directors have been pushing for a larger field, possibly to 16 or 24 teams, which may lead to more marquee nonconference matchups, as a loss would not mean as much in terms of qualifying for the playoff.

“I want to play Ohio State,” Del Conte said on Sarkisian’s radio show this week. “I want to play Michigan. I want to play Notre Dame. But I don’t want it to be a detriment to the program. What the nation wants is big games, but if the playoff does not expand, you don’t want to be punished. The playoffs have to expand.”

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has been proposing a 24-team playoff, including a requirement that teams play at least 10 regular season games against Power 4 opponents, according to Ross Dellenger, a reporter with Yahoo Sports and On3. Bjork, meanwhile, said it was a “big deal” that the CFP and ESPN are in discussions.

“In my mind, that means we’re going to expand,” Bjork said. “It’s just a matter of exactly how and when.”

Ohio State already has its three nonconference games scheduled for 2027, 2028 and 2029, as well as two in 2030 and 2031. As such, Bjork is looking for opponents primarily for 2032 and beyond. Still, he and his peers are in a holding pattern.

“A lot of programs are hesitant to lock games in right now because we don’t know what the playoff structure format is going to look like,” Bjork said. “There’s not a lot of people that are engaging right now in scheduling those games.”

The CFP should decide about its expansion options later this year, which could include a larger field beginning as soon as next season. For now, though, nothing is finalized, leading to uncertainty, including about whether it makes sense to schedule marquee nonconference games.

“It should not hurt you if you do stub your toe,” Bjork said. “I think that’s the belief. That would be the incentive to keep playing these games. You should get rewarded for the fact that you’re willing to schedule these games.”

He added: “My belief is you should not be afraid of these games, and others have to make other decisions. But hopefully we start leaning into more of these games.”