Looking to Improve Schedule, Buckeyes Add TCU

Ohio State has already made known its plans to beef up its non-conference schedules in years to come.

Now, the Buckeyes have shown their commitment to actually following through on those plans.

Buckeye athletic director Gene Smith announced on Tuesday that Ohio State would add TCU to its schedule for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. The Buckeyes will travel to Forth Worth on Sept. 15, 2018 and the Horned Frogs will make the trip to Columbus on Sept. 21, 2019.

"Competing against programs from the state of Texas has always offered exciting experiences for our players and fans," Smith said in a statement. "TCU continues to be one of the top football programs in the country."

That last point is certainly not debatable. Once an also-ran in the old Southwest Conference, the Horned Frogs under the leadership of coach Gary Patterson have emerged as one of the most consistent and successful programs in the country. In fact, the Frogs claim 97 wins over the past 10 years; only powers LSU, USC, Oklahoma and Boise State have more. They are currently ranked No. 15 in the Associated Press Top 25 and are 4-0 on the year. They have not not lost in their last 12 games.

The announcement of the TCU series comes about a week after Smith revealed the Buckeyes would be changing their "philosophy" regarding scheduling, with a likely reduction in games against MAC opponents and an increase in games against higher-profile competition. The idea is to improve the Buckeyes' strength of schedule in advance of the arrival of the new college football playoff, which will make its debut in 2014 and will likely place heavy weight on a team's schedule strength.

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