Ohio State football schedule 2022: Notre Dame and road trips to East Lansing, Happy Valley

Ohio State football's 2021 regular season didn't end the way the Buckeyes wanted, losing to Michigan and seeing their College Football Playoffs disappear. But the bright side is the Buckeyes will get to play in one of the most famous bowl games there is: the Rose Bowl.

Ohio State travels to Pasadena to play Utah on Jan.1 in just their fourth Rose Bowl since 1997.

Then comes the offseason. Then comes spring football and the spring game in April. Before Buckeye fans realize it, coaches Ryan Day and Jim Harbaugh will be talking about The Game at Big Ten Media Days in July and the 2022 season will be here.

The regular season begins on Sept. 3 in Columbus.

Here's a look at the Ohio State 2022 football schedule. No kickoff times have been announced.

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame, Sept. 3 in Columbus

This game took an intriguing turn in early December when Brian Kelly left for LSU and Notre Dame hired former Ohio State linebacker Marcus Freeman as head coach. Freeman had been the defensive coordinator for one season in South Bend and before that worked for another former Ohio State player, Luke Fickell, at Cincinnati.

Notre Dame went 11-1 this season. The only loss was to Cincinnati.

Ohio State is 4-2 all-time against Notre Dame, with the last game coming in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, a 44-28 Ohio State win.

Notre Dame will play another OSU in the Fiesta Bowl this season when the Irish play Oklahoma State on Jan. 1

Ohio State vs. Arkansas State, Sept. 10 in Columbus

The Red Wolves went 2-10 in 2021. Ohio State has never played Arkansas State, coached by Butch Jones, the former Cincinnati and Tennessee head coach.

Ohio State vs. Toledo, Sept. 17 in Columbus

The Buckeyes haven't lost to a fellow Ohio school since 1921. Toledo, this is your shot. Akron lost to Ohio State 59-7 in 2021. The Rockets finished third in the MAC West and went 7-5. They are coached by Jason Candle, who is 45-26 since 2015 at Toledo.

The Rockets play in the Bahamas Bowl on Dec. 17 against Middle Tennessee State.

Ohio State is 3-0 all-time against Toledo.

Ohio State vs. Wisconsin, Sept. 24 in Columbus

Wisconsin had a tough start to the season, losing at home to Penn State and on a neutral field to Notre Dame, but rallied to finish 8-4 in 2021 and 6-3 in the Big Ten.

Wisconsin will play Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 30.

Ohio State is 61-18-5 against the Badgers. They last beat Ohio State in 2010, 31-18 in Madison. Ohio State was ranked No. 1 at the time.

The Buckeyes have won eight straight in the series.

Ohio State vs. Rutgers, Oct. 1 in Columbus

The Scarlet Knights went 5-7 in the second year under Greg Schiano. They went 2-7 in Big Ten play. Ohio State beat Rutgers 52-13 in 2021.

The Buckeyes are 8-0 all-time against the Scarlet Knights.

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Michigan State vs. Ohio State, Oct. 8 in East Lansing

Ohio State crushed the Spartans 56-7 in 2021, but Michigan State had a strong season under second-year coach Mel Tucker, finishing third in the Big Ten East with a 10-2 record.

The Spartans will play Pittsburgh in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30.

Ohio State won its Big Ten opener in Week 1 in 2021, and Ryan Day has only one loss in Big Ten play in three seasons, a 23-1 conference record.

The Buckeyes are 35-15 all-time against the Spartans, with the 2021 game being the largest margin of victory in the rivalry's history.

It'll be the second straight season Ohio State started the Big Ten season on the road.

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Ohio State vs. Iowa, Oct. 22 in Columbus

The champions of the Big Ten West in 2021 travel to Columbus in 2022. Iowa was trounced by Michigan 42-3 in the Big Ten Championship Game, but reached as high as No. 2 in the AP rankings this season.

The Hawkeyes went 10-3 and will play Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1.

Ohio State is 46-15-3 against Iowa. In the most recent meeting, Iowa beat Ohio State 55-24 in 2017. Iowa hasn't beaten Ohio State in Columbus since 1991.

Penn State vs. Ohio State, Oct. 29 in State College, Pa.

It's a tough stretch to start the Big Ten season for the Buckeyes with road games against Michigan State and Penn State. Ohio State beat Penn State 38-25 in Happy Valley in 2020 and beat the Nittany Lions again in 2021 in Columbus, 33-24.

Like Tucker at Michigan State, Penn State coach James Franklin has a new long-term deal with the school. Unlike Tucker, he's coming off a subpar season with a 7-5 record and a 4-5 conference record.

Penn State is playing Arkansas in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1.

Ohio State is 22-14 against Penn State and has won the past five games in the series.

Rob Oller: Ryan Day oozes confidence during Ohio State's close shave against Penn State

Northwestern vs. Ohio State, Nov. 5 in Evanston, Ill.

Ohio State beat Northwestern in the 2020 Big Ten Championship Game 22-10 but didn't play the Wildcats in 2021. Northwestern went 3-9 and 1-8 in Big Ten play.

Ohio State is 64-14-1 all-time against Northwestern, once winning 24 straight games from 1972-2003, and are on a nine-game winning streak against Northwestern. Northwestern's upset over Buckeyes in 2004 is the only win it has against Ohio State since 1971.

That game was also in Evanston.

Ohio State vs. Indiana, Nov. 12 in Columbus

The Buckeyes beat Indiana 54-7 in 2021 in a season where the Hoosier were ranked in the AP top 25 preseason poll but finished 2-10. Indiana was the only team in the conference to go 0-9.

Ohio State is 77-12-5 all-time against Indiana. The Buckeyes have not lost to the Hoosiers since 1988 and have beaten them 26 straight times.

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Maryland vs. Ohio State, Nov. 19 in College Park, Md.

Ohio State beat Maryland 66-17 this season. It was the most points the Buckeyes scored in the regular season in one game. Maryland finished 6-6 overall and 3-6 in the Big Ten.

The Terps will play Virginia Tech in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 29.

Ohio State is 7-0 against Maryland all-time.

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Ohio State vs. Michigan, Nov. 26 in Columbus

The last time Ohio State played Michigan at home following a loss to the Wolverines the previous year was in 2012. Urban Meyer lead the Buckeyes to an undefeated season in 2012 and OSU beat Michigan 26-21 in Columbus.

The last time Michigan won back-to-back games against Ohio State was in 2000, which is the last time Michigan won in Columbus. The Wolverines beat John Cooper's team 38-26.

Michigan finished 12-1 in 2021 and was selected to the College Football Playoff. The Wolverines will face Georgia in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 31.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football schedule 2022: OSU vs. Notre Dame first