If you were looking for a calm, predictable autumn in Columbus during the 2024 season, you were definitely in the wrong zip code. Honestly, trying to keep track of the Buckeyes this past year was like riding a roller coaster that occasionally goes off the rails but somehow lands perfectly on the tracks. Everyone wanted that ohio state football schedule 2024 printable early on just to see if Ryan Day could actually survive the gauntlet.
They did more than survive. They ended up at the mountaintop.
But getting there? It was messy. It was stressful. It involved losing to "That Team Up North" for the fourth year in a row—in the Horseshoe, no less—and still finding a way to lift the national championship trophy in Atlanta. Basically, the 2024 Buckeyes became the first team ever to win the title with two losses on their resume since LSU did it back in 2007.
The Regular Season Grind: Highs, Lows, and a Duck Problem
The year started out looking like a standard Ohio State blowout tour. They dismantled Akron 52-6 and Western Michigan 56-0. Will Howard, the Kansas State transfer, looked comfortable. The defense, led by Jim Knowles, was playing like they had something to prove.
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Then came October 12th.
Traveling to Eugene to face Oregon was the first real "prove it" moment. It was a heavyweight fight in every sense. The Buckeyes lost by a single point, 32-31, after a chaotic final drive where Howard couldn't get down in time for a field goal attempt. It felt like the air went out of Columbus for a week.
Key Regular Season Matchups
- At Penn State (Nov 2): A gritty 20-13 win in Happy Valley. This was arguably the turning point for the defense.
- Indiana (Nov 23): Everyone thought the Hoosiers were a fluke until they showed up 10-0. Ohio State handled them 38-15, largely thanks to a monster punt return by Caleb Downs.
- The Michigan Game (Nov 30): This one hurt. A 13-10 loss at home. People were calling for Ryan Day's job before the clock even hit zero.
Because of that Michigan loss, Ohio State didn't even make the Big Ten Championship game. Oregon ended up beating Penn State for the conference title. At that point, the printable schedule you had pinned to your fridge probably looked like a list of missed opportunities. But the new 12-team playoff format changed everything.
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That Historic Playoff Run
Since they didn't win the Big Ten, the Buckeyes were seeded No. 8. That meant they had to host a first-round playoff game at Ohio Stadium in late December. It was freezing, it was loud, and they absolutely crushed Tennessee 42-17.
From there, it was a revenge tour.
The Path to the Title
- Rose Bowl (Quarterfinal): They got a rematch with No. 1 Oregon. This time, the Buckeyes didn't blink, winning 41-21.
- Cotton Bowl (Semifinal): A defensive masterclass against Texas. They won 28-14, with redshirt freshman Julian Sayin making a name for himself.
- National Championship: They faced Notre Dame in Atlanta. After falling behind early, the Buckeyes scored 31 unanswered points to win 34-23.
Why You Still Need the Ohio State Football Schedule 2024 Printable
You might think a schedule is useless once the games are over. You'd be wrong. For Buckeyes fans, the 2024 season is going to be studied for decades. It's the year they proved that losing "The Game" doesn't have to be the end of the world—even if it still feels like it at the time.
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Having a physical copy of this schedule is sorta like having a piece of history. You can see the progression. You see where the doubters were right (that Oregon loss) and where they were spectacularly wrong (the entire month of January).
Ohio State 2024 Season: Results and Scores
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | Akron | W | 52-6 |
| Sept 7 | Western Michigan | W | 56-0 |
| Sept 21 | Marshall | W | 49-14 |
| Sept 28 | at Michigan State | W | 38-7 |
| Oct 5 | Iowa | W | 35-7 |
| Oct 12 | at Oregon | L | 31-32 |
| Oct 26 | Nebraska | W | 21-17 |
| Nov 2 | at Penn State | W | 20-13 |
| Nov 9 | Purdue | W | 45-0 |
| Nov 16 | at Northwestern | W | 31-7 |
| Nov 23 | Indiana | W | 38-15 |
| Nov 30 | Michigan | L | 10-13 |
| Playoffs | |||
| Dec 21 | Tennessee (First Round) | W | 42-17 |
| Jan 1 | vs Oregon (Rose Bowl) | W | 41-21 |
| Jan 10 | vs Texas (Cotton Bowl) | W | 28-14 |
| Jan 20 | vs Notre Dame (Finals) | W | 34-23 |
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're looking to commemorate this season or prepare for the next one, here is what you should actually do. First, don't just delete your digital schedules. Save a PDF of the final results because 2024 was the blueprint for how the 12-team playoff actually functions. It rewards teams that can survive a brutal schedule rather than teams that just play it safe.
Secondly, keep an eye on the freshman class from 2024. Jeremiah Smith lived up to every ounce of the hype, and Julian Sayin's performance in the playoffs suggests the post-Will Howard era is in very good hands.
Lastly, if you're printing out a schedule for the 2025 season, leave room for those playoff dates. As we saw this year, the regular season is just the opening act. The real drama starts when the calendar flips to December.
Download a finalized version of the 2024 results to keep in your fan cave. It’s a reminder that even when things look bleak after a loss in late November, the "Buckeye Way" has a funny way of working out in the end.