Grambling State is scheduled for a first in 2025 when the Tigers travel to play Ohio State at the Horseshoe in Columbus.

The game set for Sept. 6 will be Grambling State’s first against a Big Ten team.

“This is another example of us being able to showcase our brand to a national audience,” Dr. Trayvean Scott, Grambling State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, said in a statement.

“We are thrilled that our players and fans will get to experience a matchup between two of the most storied football programs in the country. When you think of college football, Grambling State and Ohio State are two of the names that many think of immediately. This contest will allow our both fan bases to experience the cultural and athletic excellence of both institutions,” Scott said in the statement.

The matchup is possible on relatively short notice because of a change to Ohio State’s schedule involving UConn. The Buckeyes and Huskies were scheduled to play in October 2025. The adjustment allowed Ohio State to stack a nonconference slate early in the season and remove UConn from a run of games against conference opponents.

Grambling State played LSU in the 2023 season opener.

Ohio State opens the 2025 season against Texas on Aug. 30.

OSU has played against an FCS opponent four previous times and has one game in its history against an HBCU program.