Ohio sports in 2024: What to watch
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — After a busy 2023 in sports across Ohio, 2024 is going to be even bigger.
2024 is full of unknowns for Ohio teams with many rosters undecided for the upcoming seasons, leading to unknown expectations. One team will hope to defend a championship while athletes from around the state can fulfill lifelong dreams this year.
New central Ohio restaurants opening in 2024
Here is what you need to know for the upcoming year in sports:
Massive changes for Buckeyes football
2024’s college football season brings major changes with conference realignment and an expanded 12-team playoff. Among the teams entering this season with big changes of its own is Ohio State.
The Buckeyes will have a near complete new roster for 2024 with the quarterback competition expected to be heated come this spring and summer. OSU will also have younger starters in key offensive and defensive positions, raising many question marks on what the team’s expectations will be.
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With an extra eight teams making the College Football Playoff, Ohio State will set its sights on that and likely has room to lose more than one game to stay in contention. With Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA joining the Big Ten, Ohio State and Michigan’s stranglehold of the conference could loosen.
Ohio State’s most noteworthy games for 2024 include hosting Marshall (Sept. 21), traveling to new Big Ten rival Oregon (Oct. 12), going to Penn State (Nov. 2), and hosting Michigan (Nov. 30), looking to avoid a fourth-straight loss to the Wolverines. With no divisions this season in the Big Ten, OSU could rematch with Michigan in the Big Ten title game.
Ohioans seek glory at Paris Olympics
The biggest sporting event of the year will be the Summer Olympics, which will be hosted in Paris from July 24 to Aug. 11. The world’s eyes will be fixed on the City of Light and multiple Ohioans can become household names in every corner of the globe.
Dozens of athletes will likely represent Team USA and the Buckeye State this summer in Paris with many having a chance to win gold medals in marquee sports. Among those athletes are Dublin track star Abby Steiner, Dover swimmer Hunter Armstrong, Lakewood pole vault star Katie Moon, and many more.
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The games will consist of 32 sports with more than 10,000 athletes set to compete during the two weeks. You can watch full coverage of the 2024 Olympic Games on NBC4, beginning with the opening ceremony on the Seine River on July 26.
Crew embark on busiest season
The Crew brought the only professional title to Ohio in 2023 after winning its third MLS Cup. For 2024, the club will embark on its biggest season yet with opportunities to play some of the biggest teams and players in the world.
Columbus will vie to become the first club since the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2012 to win back-to-back MLS Cups and will have some tough opposition along the way. Notable regular season fixtures include two matches against rivals FC Cincinnati (May 11 in Columbus and Sept. 14 at Cincinnati), a rematch of the 2023 final at Los Angeles FC (July 13), and hosting Lionel Messi and Inter Miami (Oct. 2).
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The Black & Gold will also be playing in the Leagues Cup again and in the newly branded CONCACAF Champions Cup, with the champion of the latter qualifying for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Even during breaks the Crew and Lower.com Field won’t rest as the city and club hosts the MLS All-Star Game on July 24.
Professional volleyball arrives in Columbus
Central Ohio is getting a brand new professional team in 2024 as the Columbus Fury makes its debut. The Fury is part of the Pro Volleyball Federation and received significant investment from Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and his family. Now, the time has come for the Fury to take the court at Nationwide Arena.
Columbus will play its inaugural match on Jan. 25 on the road against the Grand Rapids Rise with its first home match coming on Feb. 21 against the Omaha Supernovas. The Fury has a roster filled with NCAA stars highlighted by No. 1 overall draft pick Asjia O’Neal, who is fresh off winning her second national championship with Texas.
O’Neal is joined by the likes of two-time NCAA champion Megan Courtney Lush, who won with Penn State in 2013 and 2014, former Buckeye All-American Ashley Wenz, and Jenna Rosenthal from the German league.
What about the teams in the Big 4?
Of Ohio’s six teams in the “Big 4” professional men’s North American sports league (NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL), only two made the playoffs. Multiple teams that missed out on the postseason in 2023 will enter 2024 with dark horse chances.
For the Browns and Bengals, both should be considered contenders to make the playoffs next year. Cleveland will get back all its key starters who were injured after a phenomenal 2023 campaign while Joe Burrow’s return to the Bengals should spark the team back as a Super Bowl contender.
The MLB teams of Ohio will both enter 2024 with decent chances of a postseason. The Cleveland Guardians once again will be in the mix to win a weak American League Central while the Cincinnati Reds are hoping its exciting young roster can catapult the team to its first playoff spot in a full season since 2013.
In the indoor sports, the Cleveland Cavaliers currently sit in the middle of the Eastern Conference standings and look poised to at least make the NBA Play-In Tournament. The Blue Jackets, on the other hand, will be in contention for the NHL’s worst team and will hope to win the 2024 NHL draft lottery.
Other things to watch for in 2024
Columbus will host the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at Nationwide Arena from Jan. 22-28. It’s the first time the event is in central Ohio and NBC4 will be the home of exclusive television coverage.
Multiple Buckeyes-alum will shine bright in the NFL with a new crop of rookies looking to make their mark. Marvin Harrison Jr., J.T. Tuimoloau, Emeka Egbuka, and Denzel Burke are all in the mix to be first-round selections in the 2024 NFL Draft on April 25.
Unlike 2023, both Ohio State basketball teams could be in March Madness. The women went 9-2 in non-conference and remain nationally ranked while the men sit at 11-2 and will hope to end Big Ten play in the middle of the pack, keeping their tournament hopes alive.
The annual Memorial golf tournament at Muirfield Village in Dublin will take place one week later than usual. It will take place from June 6-9 and precede the third men’s major of the year the U.S. Open.
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