Ohio State and Kent State to Meet in 2026

Teams have met three times previously; game one of six upcoming vs. MAC schools

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State University and the Kent State University football programs have agreed to play a game in Ohio Stadium on Sept. 19, 2026.

The two teams have met three times previously on the gridiron with Ohio State winning all three contests with all three played at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won 51-17 on Sept. 2, 2002, 48-3 on Oct. 13, 2007 and 66-0 on Sept. 13, 2014.

Ohio State now has six games scheduled in the near future against six different Mid-American Conference programs:

• 2022 – Sept. 17 vs. Toledo
• 2024 – Sept. 21 vs. Western Michigan
• 2026 – Sept. 5 vs. Ball State
• 2026 – Sept. 19 vs. Kent State
• 2027 – Sept. 4 vs. Bowling Green
• 2028 – Sept. 2 vs. Buffalo

The Buckeyes are 34-1 all-time vs. current members of the MAC and 25-0 vs. MAC schools in Ohio Stadium. The only loss came against Akron in 1894, 12-6, in a game played at the Ohio Fairgrounds.

Ohio State’s future non-conference schedules include contracts for home and home contests with Notre Dame (2022 and 2023), Washington (2024 and 2025), Texas (2025 and 2026), Alabama (2027 and 2028) and Georgia (2030 and 2031).