In the 12-team playoff, three losses likely end your season. It hurts even more if one of those losses comes in a non-conference game, as Steve Sarkisian discovered. And teams have already started changing their schedules to have easier non-conference games. That makes Ohio State playing Texas and Alabama a rarity. But just as the Longhorns realized, there is a downside.

On The Triple Option (June 8), host Rob Stone argued for a flexible calendar going forward so programs can plan marquee matchups in the offseason. For instance, a Big 10 team scheduling LSU or Florida, giving both sets of fans an opportunity to see a high-octane clash. Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer doesn’t support the idea and even questioned the logic behind the Buckeyes playing the Tide.

“My scheduling philosophy was always big dog, medium dog, little dog. That’s what we always did,” said Meyer during his June 8 appearance on The Triple Option podcast when discussing non-conference scheduling. “I think of those days, and God bless Texas. I’d be surprised if that continues. I know Alabama and Ohio State. Why would Ohio State play that game? Why would it play other than that it’s great for fans?”

In response, former Alabama RB Mark Ingram said, “We love it. We love it.” But Meyer fired back, stating, “Is that enough of a reason?”

In an ideal scenario, we should have the Big Ten powerhouses schedule at least one game against top SEC teams every season. But only a few programs are doing that. And even those schedules were set up a while back.

Last season, Ohio State hosted Texas in Week 1. In the upcoming season, they travel to Austin to complete the series. The fans will, of course, get to see a major clash between two historic programs. However, Ryan Day’s team is also scheduled to play Indiana, USC, Oregon, and Michigan in its conference slate. Even the away games at Iowa and Nebraska won’t be easy.

If Ohio State loses to Texas, it will hurt its playoff chances. And then the Buckeyes will have another non-conference home-and-home series against Alabama in 2027 and 2028. This is happening at a time when college programs are beginning to follow the Indiana model.

In 2025, Indiana played three easy non-conference games against Kennesaw State, Old Dominion, and Indiana State to start the season. Next season, the Hoosiers will play North Texas, Howard Bison, and Western Kentucky. In the end, Curt Cignetti’s team was undefeated, and they could have easily defeated a big team as well. However, the intention is not to stress in non-conference play. Virginia Tech and Georgia have already shifted to easier non-conference slates in the future.

On their part, the Buckeyes have backed the idea of having “high-level matchups” for the good of the sport. Back in February, Ohio State AD Ross Bjork told Eleven Warriors that they are looking forward to the Alabama game. “We’re driving value in this whole new era of college sports. Until somebody shows us a different model where those games will cost you either way, then we will look at it,” Bjork said.

Last month, On3‘s Brett McMurphy reported that Alabama is not considering canceling its future series against Ohio State. Interestingly, the Tide canceled a similar series against Oklahoma State (2028 and 2029).

The 16-team or 24-team bracket may solve the issue, as even teams with three losses will have a chance to make the playoffs. For now, coaches like Day and DeBoer risk regretting tough non-conference games.

Steve Sarkisian backs the Indiana method

Last season, the Texas head coach was making a case for the Longhorns to be in the playoffs despite having three losses. His whole argument relied on three top-10 wins and a tough schedule. After the Longhorns’ win over the Aggies, Sarkisian broke into a rant about the absurdity of holding the Ohio State loss against his team.

“Because if we’re a 10-2 team right now that played four top-10 ranked opponents with three top-10 wins, we’re not even having a discussion right now. So, my point is: Why the hell am I going to play that game [Ohio State] next year? For what? What good does it do?” Sarkisian said on SiriusXM.

While the Longhorns will host Ohio State this year, Sarkisian is not sure about such matchups in the future. Just a week ago, the Texas head coach told Greg McElroy that college programs are learning from Indiana because “they’re seeing the value of another win as opposed to the value of the strength of your schedule.”

And it’s not just Indiana. Oregon has followed a similar template. Now, USC has also joined ranks with its fellow Big Ten programs. It’s admirable that Ohio State and Alabama continue to hold fort, but for how long?