Ohio State enters season opener against Ball State with long unbeaten streak

Ohio State faces Ball State on September 5, looking to extend a 26-game unbeaten streak in season openers. The program has not lost a first game of the season in 27 years, marking the longest active run in college football. The last loss occurred in 1999 during the Kickoff Classic, where the Buckeyes fell 23-12 to Miami at Giants Stadium. In that contest, the team committed four fumbles and combined for only 104 passing yards between two quarterbacks. Since that defeat, Ohio State has maintained a perfect opening-game record across 26 consecutive seasons. The Buckeyes enter the upcoming matchup as 50½-point favorites over the MAC opponent. Historically, the school holds an all-time record of 120-12-4 in season-opening games dating back to 1890.

• 2:01 PMYahoo Sports — Ohio State hasn't lost a season opener in 27 years. What happened last time?