Every year, the Ohio State football team plays a highly anticipated non-conference game. That has been Oregon and Notre Dame over the past couple years. They don’t have one of those matchups this year. For once, the timetable without a conference is very simple.

We discussed why, in terms of the College Football Playoffs, that would be advantageous for them. It will be beneficial since the Buckeyes only need to focus on winning those games because they will still be among the best teams in the Big Ten. However, there’s another reason the non-conference schedule matters.

The Ohio State football team’s underwhelming non-conference schedule will aid in the development of their young players. in particular, the quarterbacks. All opponents should be easily defeated by the Buckeyes in their opening four games. This implies that there should be plenty of time for the backups.

Devin Brown, Air Noland, and Julian Sayin will therefore receive repetitions. That set of reps holds greater significance for Sayin and Noland. If the two rookies are to contend for the starting position in 2025, they need those repetitions against the tough clubs. As of right now, Brown still has the advantage.

The quarterbacks aren’t the only players that value those games. Those are important reps for the offensive line backups as well, particularly for a team with little depth on the offensive line. For next campaigns, the Buckeyes require players they can rely on.

Because he is aware of this, Ryan Day will attempt to get his side to score as many points as possible in the opening minutes of the game in order to provide those individuals some reps. The defence does not require the same amount of reps from the backups as the offence does because they have far more talent.

In order for these young Buckeyes to have the reps they require, hopefully those non-conference games don’t provide any issues at all.