2020 Ohio State football schedule announced, Michigan comes to Columbus Oct. 24

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX/WTTE) — The Big Ten is sharing more details on the 2020 football season.

Commissioner Kevin Warren shared details on the 2020 scheduling process on Big Ten Network as part of the 8:45 a.m. announcement.

Here is the tentative schedule for Ohio State:

Sept. 3 – at Illinois
Sept. 12 – Rutgers
Sept. 19 – at Purdue
Sept. 26 – Indiana
Oct. 3 – Open
Oct. 10 – Nebraska
Oct. 17 – at Michigan State
Oct. 24 – Michigan
Oct. 31 – at Maryland
Nov. 7 – at Penn State
Nov. 14 – Open
Nov. 21 – Iowa
Dec. 5 – Big Ten Championship Game

One big change is the Ohio State/Michigan game. For the first time since the 1940s, that game will not be the last game of the regular season for the Buckeyes.

The Big Ten shared these details on holding football this fall.

• The plan is for Big Ten institutions to play a 10-game Conference-only schedule including the nine current opponents and one additional cross-division game
• The schedule starts as early as the weekend of Sept. 5 with final games slated for Nov. 21 to align with academic calendars
• The 10 games would be played over at least 12 weeks with each team having two open dates
• The schedule is structured to maximize flexibility:
• Games can be collapsed into bye weeks
• Uniform bye week on Nov. 28
• Cross-division games are currently scheduled for all schools in Week 1 (Sept. 5) and Week 12 (Nov. 21)
• Schedule constructed in a way that allows the season to start as early as the weekend of Sept. 5, but also provides the ability to move the start of the season back to Sept. 12, 19 or 26 through strategic sequencing that allows games to be moved to a latter part of the schedule
• Big Ten Football Championship Game remains scheduled for Dec. 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, though it could be moved as late as Dec. 19
• Teams can begin preseason practices on Friday, Aug. 7, or earlier if permitted under NCAA guidelines related to first dates of scheduled competition

“Our institutions are committed to taking the necessary measures to facilitate a safe return to campus for our students this fall,” said Morton Schapiro, Chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors and Northwestern University President. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have prioritized the health and safety of our students. Their welfare is paramount and remains at the forefront of all of our decisions. Today’s announcement, though subject to local, state and federal public health guidelines, provides a path forward for Big Ten student-athletes to return to competition based on comprehensive, conference-wide medical policies and protocols established by the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee. We will continue to evaluate the best available information and advice from public health officials as we make decisions and necessary adjustments going forward.”

Here are details on COVID-19 safety protocols for the season.

The change also means "Selection Sunday" for the College Football Playoff will now be delayed by two weeks to December 20, 2020.

ABC 6/FOX 28 will continue to update this story.