Ohio State, Alabama announce two-game series

The Ohio State Buckeyes will play Alabama in 2027 and 2028, the schools announced Thursday. The two college football powerhouses have played in the regular season only once and not since 1986.

The series will start at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Sept. 18, 2027. The Buckeyes will then play in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Sept. 9, 2028.’

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“We’d like to thank University of Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne and Senior Deputy Director of Athletics Finus Gaston, who worked so hard with us to get this series scheduled,” Diana Sabau, Ohio State Deputy Director of Athletics, said in a press release. “Building a non-conference schedule with tradition-rich programs is important to the competitive excellence of our program and the department, and it is great for our fans. We are excited for both schools and pleased to be able to share in this announcement today with the University of Alabama.”

Since 1993, @OhioStateFB has played home-&-home series with Washington (twice), Pitt (twice), Notre Dame, Arizona, Missouri, UCLA, N.C. State, Texas, USC, Miami (Fla.), Cal, Va Tech, Oklahoma. Buckeyes are 23-8 in those games, 11-6 when the opponent is ranked
— Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) June 18, 2020

😮 You’re gonna like the sound of this:

| 𝐎𝐡𝐢𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐯𝐬. 𝐀𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐦𝐚 |

🏈 powerhouse home & home series scheduled for 2027-28

➕https://t.co/3Xl1sP4FXT #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/9K7pXbQ70U
— Ohio State Buckeyes (@OhioStAthletics) June 18, 2020

Ohio State and Alabama last played in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2015, The Buckeyes won 42-35 to advance to the College Football Playoff championship game.

The programs met three times prior to 2015:

• Alabama beat Ohio State 35-6 in the 1978 Sugar Bowl

• Alabama beat Ohio State 16-10 at the Meadowlands in New Jersey in the 1986 Kickoff Classic.

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• Alabama beat Ohio State 24-17 in the 1995 Florida Citrus Bowl.

The matchup with Alabama adds to a growing number of games Ohio State has against other Power 5 schools in the coming seasons. Last November, it announced a two-game series with Georgia. Here's the full list:

Upcoming Power 5 Series

2020: at Oregon

2021: Oregon

2022: Notre Dame

2023: at Notre Dame

2024: at Washington

2025: at Texas

2025: Washington

2026: Texas

2027: Alabama

2028: at Alabama

2030: at Georgia