It was recently announced that Ohio State will host in-state opponent Youngstown State Sept. 9, 2023, much to the chagrin of some Buckeye fans.

Let’s be honest: no one was excited to watch Ohio State play San Jose State instead.

Replacing San Jose State with an in-state FCS program is intriguing and fun for Ohio sports fans. The Buckeyes were not receiving bonus points for scheduling San Jose State from the College Football Playoff committee.

Additionally, the Buckeyes have built enough good faith in the last 20 years where they do not need to schedule a massive opponent early on in the season to make a run at a National Championship. With four teams getting into the College Football Playoff an undefeated or one-loss Ohio State team is usually a lock.

It is understandable some fans would be upset with playing a FCS team. It is frustrating watching SEC programs schedule FCS teams in the middle of the year that have no relevance to their history. Despite being a FCS program the matchup against Youngstown State will be a fun game for many Ohioans.

Let’s make one thing clear: this FCS opponent has relevance in the state of Ohio. Former Ohio State National Championship winning head coach Jim Tressel is the current president of Youngstown State University. While, at Youngstown State Tressel captured four NCAA Division 1-AA National Championships before winning it all as the head coach of Ohio State in 2002.

The home game could serve as a defacto homecoming for the former head coach.

However, the game will also be a fun matchup because it breeds in-state competition. Playing a prestigious in-state opponent will surely be a nice warmup in the early part of the 2023 season. There is no doubt Youngstown State will be chomping at the bit to take down big brother meanwhile Ohio State will be looking to silence any Penguin fans early.

Currently, the Buckeyes hold a 2-0 record all-time against Youngstown State. Ohio State won both games 38-6 in 2007 and 43-0 in 2008, respectively.

The Buckeyes should take care of business, but beating FCS teams is not always a given for Big Ten football programs. Let’s flashback to September 1, 2007 where Michigan was upset by FCS powerhouse Appalachian State.

On this date in 2007, Appalachian State pulled off one of the greatest upsets in college football history, beating Michigan 😤 pic.twitter.com/s6X8VeUBSe

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 1, 2021

Now I am not saying Ohio State is going to get upset. They’ll likely win by at least five touchdowns. However, giving small hungry FCS programs with a history is great for the sport.

With Ryan Day likely grooming a new quarterback that weekend this game should allow either Kyle McCord or Devin Brown to build confidence in front of a home crowd.

Worst case scenario both Buckeye and Penguin fans have a great day tailgating and watch two of the most historic in-state programs compete.

In conclusion this game is an upgrade over what was originally scheduled and will exceed many expectations.