Ohio State Buckeyes Paying Akron This Massive Amount For Season Opener

The Ohio State Buckeyes are paying a heck of a lot of money to host Akron on in their season opener.

Dec 29, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes mascot Brutus during the game against the Missouri Tigers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Ohio State Buckeyes are hosting the Akron Zips in their season opener on Saturday, and they paid Akron a handsome sum in order to make it happen.

According to Brett McMurphy of Action Network, Ohio State has given Akron $1.8 million to visit Columbus in Week 1 of the 2024 college football campaign.

That is tied for the third-highest amount that a school is paying a visiting team this year. The Buckeyes are also handing Western Michigan $1.8 million to make the trip to Ohio Stadium next weekend.

The matchup against Akron will (hopefully) just be a tune up for an Ohio State squad that is aiming to win its first national championship in a decade.

The Buckeyes are entering the season as the No. 2-ranked team in the country behind the Georgia Bulldogs and are viewed by many as the most talented club in the nation.

Ohio State is looking to erase the memory of what have been several disappointing seasons in a row. Last year, the Buckeyes made it to the Cotton Bowl, where they lost to the Missouri Tigers. They also fell to the archrival Michigan Wolverines for the third straight year.

Along with winning a national title, beating Michigan is the No. 1 goal for Ohio State every season, so the fact that the Buckeyes have come up short in that department for three consecutive campaigns is certainly weighing heavily on the minds of the Columbus faithful.

We'll see if Ohio State can start with a bang in 2024 by hammering Akron.