Alabama, Ohio State schedule home-and-home series for 2027-28

In a blockbuster scheduling announcement Thursday, college football powerhouses Alabama and Ohio State finalized a future home-and-home series.

The first game will take place in Columbus on Sept. 18, 2027, with the Buckeyes traveling to Tuscaloosa on Sept. 9, 2028.

"The addition of Ohio State to our future nonconference schedule shows the commitment our program and administration has to creating the best possible games for our players and fans," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. "I have coached a lot of years in the SEC and Big 10 and Bryant-Denny Stadium and Ohio Stadium are two of the very best environments in college football. Nonconference series like Alabama-Ohio State are so important to the health of college football, and we are very pleased that we could get this series completed."

The matchups add to a number of exciting future series for Ohio State:

"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," Buckeyes deputy director of athletics Diana Sabau said. "Building a nonconference 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."

The two schools have only met four times, all on neutral sites. The most recent matchup came in the 2015 Sugar Bowl, which was also a College Football Playoff semifinal. Ohio State won the game 42-35 and went on to capture the national championship.