Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa
Ohio State made headlines off the field this year, but the football program can recover and attempt to move on when the Buckeyes welcome Oregon State to The Horseshoe on Saturday afternoon to open up their college football season.
The game is scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on ABC. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can still watch a live stream of the game (or DVR it) on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including ABC (live in select markets, but even if it isn’t included in your market, you’ll be able to watch the game on the ESPN digital platforms with your Hulu credentials).
You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and if ABC is live in your market, you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app. If ABC isn’t live in your market, scroll down to the “ESPN Platforms” section to see where you can watch.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Although ABC isn’t technically part of the Sling TV package, you can sign up for a free 7-day trial of the “Sling Orange” bundle, which includes ESPN3, and you’ll then be able to watch a live stream of the game on the ESPN digital platforms (see next section).
ESPN Platforms
You can watch a live stream of the game on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app. Games on ABC (labeled as ESPN3) can be watched for free without cable if you have a participating internet service provider (ISP), but even if you don’t have a participating ISP, you can still sign use your Hulu or Sling TV (or other cable TV) credentials to sign in and watch the game on the ESPN digital platforms.
Preview
The biggest headline, of course, was the suspension of head coach Urban Meyer.
Following the fallout of an alleged domestic violence dispute that came to light and forced the firing of former assistant coach Zach Smith, Meyer was suspended three games. The university conducted an investigation surrounding the incident, which concluded medication prescribed to Meyer caused forgetfulness – although many take offense to the university’s findings and continue to scrutinize the decision to ease on Meyer’s punishment.
Interim head coach Ryan Day steps in to take over the reins for Ohio State’s first three games.
Day is entering his third year with the Buckeyes. He previously served as quarterbacks coach and assistant offensive coordinator for the past two seasons. He also has previous experience both at the collegiate and NFL levels as an assistant to Chip Kelly.
In addition to Day, the Buckeyes will need to rely on co-offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson and defensive coordinator Greg Schiano to step up in Meyer’s absence.
The strength of Ohio State last season was their ability to run the football. This season, they will be able to utilize that strategy again, as the program returns two 1,000-yard rushers in J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber. Outgoing senior J.T. Barrett was a solid duel-threat option at quarterback, and will be replaced by sophomore Dwayne Haskins.
Oregon State enters the season with 6-foot-7 quarterback Jake Luton.
Luton, who started four games last season, won a three-player battle, and provides stability as a senior. In four games last season before suffering a thoracic fracture against Washington State, he finished with 853 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions.