Buckeyes open with North Carolina in 2015

Sports Data big ten football

COLUMBUS — Ohio State will get a break almost in the middle of the Big Ten season in 2015, but will only have one conference game under its belt when its bye week rolls around in 2016.

The Big Ten released conference schedules for those two seasons on Monday.

Purdue is the Buckeyes’ first opponent each year, on the road on Oct. 3, 2015, and at Ohio Stadium in the conference opener on Oct. 1, 2016.

In 2015, the Ohio State schedule is: at Purdue, Penn State, Michigan State, bye, at Minnesota, Wisconsin, at Illinois, Indiana and at Michigan. The Buckeyes open with non-conference games at home against North Carolina on Sept. 5 and Northern Illinois before traveling to Virginia Tech on Sept. 19.

The following year it is: Purdue, bye, at Michigan State, Illinois, at Penn State, Minnesota, at Wisconsin, at Indiana and Michigan. The earlier non-league games include Bowling Green at home on Sept. 3 and at Oklahoma on Sept. 17.

Due to the Big Ten’s rotating schedule, some teams don’t play another for years while the schedulemakers try to preserve longstanding rivalries. For example, Ohio State plays its final regular-season game each year against Michigan, alternating between home sites, but does not play new conference member Nebraska from 2013 through 2016 (unless they play in the conference title game). That is also true for Michigan State and Wisconsin in 2013-16.

Ohio State also does not play Iowa or Northwestern in those two seasons.

2015 Ohio State Schedule