Kent State to receive $1.9 million guarantee for playing 2026 football game at Ohio State
Kent State University will receive $1.9 million for playing a September 2026 football contest at Ohio State according to the game contract, which was obtained by The Record-Courier via a public records request.
Kent State will also receive the opportunity to purchase 3,500 tickets, which includes tickets for members of the band, and 60 sideline passes. If the game cannot be played due to unforeseen circumstances, either school can cancel and “neither party shall be responsible to the other for any loss or damage.”
The Golden Flashes and Buckeyes have previously met three times, all lopsided OSU victories in Columbus since 2002. Ohio State won the last matchup 66-0 in 2014, and has outscored Kent State 165-20 overall in the three contests.
The 2026 game will be played at Ohio Stadium on Sept. 19.
Kent State has not secured any other non-conference games for the 2026 season. But the university seems locked into playing three non-conference games against Power Five schools for the foreseeable future, a scheduling philosophy that’s been in place since 2018.
Kent State University uses the funds secured by playing these games against national powerhouses as the primary source for financing its entire athletic department.
"Ideally, we'd like to get away from that model," said Randale Richmond, who just completed his first year as KSU Director of Athletics. "However, there are some sizable financial hurdles we'd have to overcome."
The Flashes will open the 2022 campaign at Washington on Sept. 3 ($1.8 million guarantee), visit Oklahoma on Sept. 10 ($1.5 million), and travel to defending national champion Georgia on Sept. 24 ($1.9 million). Kent State will receive $5.2 million in guarantee money for playing those three contests this fall. The Flashes will also host FCS foe LIU on Sept. 17, paying a $300,000 guarantee.
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Last year Kent State received $5.25 million for playing at Texas A&M, Iowa and Maryland. The university lost $5 million in guarantee money in 2020, when all non-conference games were canceled due to COVID-19 — including matchups at Alabama, Kentucky and Penn State. That $5 million loss amounted to 17% of the athletic department’s total revenue for the year, based on the $29.5 million figure from 2019.
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The Flashes are contracted to earn about $4 million for playing 2024 non-conference contests at Pitt ($1.1 million), Tennessee ($1.35 million) and Penn State ($1.6 million). They still have one non-conference opening for 2023, but have secured games at UCF ($900,000) and Arkansas ($1.6 million).
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Kent State will receive $1.9 million for playing at Ohio State
