Alabama’s scheduled home-and-home series with Ohio State might not happen.
Mark Ingram said on the Triple Option Podcast that the Crimson Tide is considering cancelling the matchup, which is set for 2028 in Columbus and 2029 in Tuscaloosa.
“Alabama has a home and away with Ohio State. Why would you even do that?” Ingram said. “They’re talking about trying to not do that anymore. I don’t know if it’s going to get done or it’s not, but it’s definitely on the radar to get that off the schedule. What benefit does it do you if you play that game close and they’re going to hold it against you?”
The concern comes as the SEC expands to nine conference games starting in 2026. With nine league games plus potentially the SEC Championship Game, Alabama would face 10 difficult matchups before even considering non-conference opponents. Adding another marquee game like Ohio State creates risk without much upside if the selection committee penalizes losses more than it rewards wins.
Dan Orlovsky and Kirk Herbstreit both warned earlier this season that if Texas missed the playoff despite its tough schedule, SEC schools would respond by scheduling softer. Texas opened with Ohio State, lost that game, then lost to Florida, and finished 9-3. The Ohio State loss was a quality loss that didn’t really hurt them. The Florida loss did. But the argument some are making is that if Texas had scheduled an easy win instead of Ohio State, they’d be 10-2 with one fewer loss on their record. Whether that’s actually better than 9-3 with a quality loss is debatable, but it’s the calculation schools are running.
The Texas-Ohio State game drew 16.6 million viewers and peaked at 18.6 million, making it the most-watched Week 1 college football game in history. It was Fox’s third most-watched regular season game ever. Fans showed up for exactly the kind of matchup they want to see. But from a playoff selection standpoint, the game created risk for both teams without necessarily creating reward. Ohio State won and still had to navigate a difficult Big Ten schedule. Texas lost and spent the rest of the season trying to overcome it.
The expanded College Football Playoff was supposed to reduce the pressure on these scheduling decisions. With 12 teams instead of four, schools theoretically had more room to lose a game and still make the field. But the committee is still penalizing losses the same way, which means schools are reacting by playing it safe.
If Alabama cancels the Ohio State series, other schools will follow. Why would any SEC team schedule a road game against a top program when they’re already playing nine conference games? The incentive structure doesn’t support it.
This is where college football is now. The playoff expanded, conferences got bigger, and the sport is optimizing itself out of the games people actually want to watch. Alabama-Ohio State would have been appointment television. Now it might not happen because the math says it’s smarter to play someone who can’t beat you.
The series isn’t dead yet. But Ingram’s comments suggest Alabama is seriously considering it, and given everything happening in college football right now, that makes sense. Whether it makes sense for anyone other than Alabama’s playoff chances is a different question.