Syracuse football announces home-and-home series with Ohio University

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University and Ohio University have agreed to a home-and-home football series with games in 2021 and 2024, the schools announced on Monday.

The Orange will open the 2021 season on Sept. 4 in Athens, Ohio against the Bobcats, while Syracuse hosts Ohio in the return game on Aug. 31, 2024, Syracuse said in a news release.

Ohio went 9-4 in 2018, including a victory against San Diego State in the DXL Frisco Bowl. The Bobcats, under head coach Frank Solich, have qualified for a bowl game in 11 of the last 12 years, Syracuse said.

The 2021 season opener will mark the first meeting in the modern era between the programs. The Orange won the previous two matchups by the combined score of 111-0. Both games were played in Syracuse. The Orange shut out Ohio 73-0 in 1916 and blanked the Bobcats again 38-0 in 1921.

“This series fits with our philosophy of balancing a very challenging ACC schedule with games against quality non-conference opponents,” Syracuse Director of Athletics John Wildhack said in the release. “Coach Solich has done an outstanding job at Ohio. His teams have consistently ranked among the best in the Mid-American Conference over the last decade.”

To accommodate the addition of the Ohio series to Syracuse’s future schedules, the Orange will play its previously scheduled Sept. 4, 2021 home game against Albany later in the season, the school said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com