Ohio State reportedly canceled Washington series due to increased difficulty in B1G schedule

Ohio State’s decision to cancel its upcoming series with Washington was a reaction to the increased difficulty in its Big Ten schedule, according to a report.

That’s according to CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd, who noted USC and UCLA’s anticipated arrival in the 2024 season. The Huskies were set to face Ohio State in 2024 and 2025.

Sources: The Ohio State cancellation of Washington was nothing more than a reaction to a tougher conference schedule with the addition of USC and UCLA. Don't read anything more into it.

— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) February 16, 2023

The cancelation leaves Washington still searching for another nonconference opponent for the 2024 campaign. The Huskies will receive a cancelation fee from Ohio State, per a report.

Ohio State will pay Washington a $500,000 cancellation fee.

— FBSchedules.com (@FBSchedules) February 15, 2023

“We are very disappointed that our student-athletes, staff and Husky Nation won’t get to experience these two games with Ohio State,” Washington athletic director Jennifer Cohen said in a release. “Everyone has had these dates circled for a number of years and we were looking forward to these opportunities to compete against the Buckeyes. We are in the process of finding new opponents for the 2024 and 2025 seasons and will provide an update as soon as we have one.”

USC and UCLA are set to join the Big Ten for the 2024 football season. The league has not yet announced its schedule for 2024.

Washington’s 2024 nonconference schedule currently includes Weber State and Eastern Michigan.