Ohio State fans got a glimpse of what Ohio Stadium could be like when the Buckeyes hosted Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff last December. Although it was the latest scheduled football game in the history of the Horseshoe, Scarlet and Gray fans, along with the visiting Volunteer fans, created an unforgettable atmosphere.
The hope is that Ohio Stadium will maintain a similar atmosphere for future games. The question is how Ohio State can generate that energy more consistently for home contests.
Buckeye athletic director Ross Bjork has experience in big-time atmospheres. Before coming to Ohio State, Bjork served in the same role at Ole Miss and Texas A&M, visiting SEC stadiums and witnessing what is possible at venues on game day.
During his first football season in Columbus, Bjork observed the typical atmosphere at Ohio Stadium and other Big Ten venues. He has formulated ideas that could enhance the experience for Buckeye home games.
DONATE TO ‘THE FOUNDATION’: Click here now to assist with Name, Image and Likeness compensation for Ohio State football and basketball student-athletes.
“More night games,” Bjork began his list.
Night games — or the lack thereof — have become a frustrating topic for Ohio State fans in recent years. The Big Ten partnered with FOX as the conference’s primary television partner, and the network has claimed the 12 p.m. ET timeslot for its biggest game each week. The Buckeyes have “carried the day,” as Bjork put it, for the Big Noon games, appearing in the noon window more than 20 times since FOX took this approach in 2019. The Scarlet and Gray last hosted a primetime night game against a ranked opponent in Week 1 of the 2022 season.
Bjork agrees with fans that the Buckeyes deserve more night games but admits there’s not much Ohio State can do about its kickoff times due to the contract with FOX. However, night games aren’t the only way to create a better atmosphere at Ohio Stadium.
“I just think that fans, they want to modernize,” Bjork continued. “They want to continue to innovate. They see these other things happening around the country. I think we saw what happened in the Tennessee game, right?”
Because the CFP dictated the Tennessee game script at Ohio Stadium, the Buckeyes could not carry out their usual in-game sponsor activations during media timeouts. Instead, they utilized that time to continue hyping up the crowd. There were also other additions, such as well-timed fireworks, different music, flashing lights and a drone show.
Although not every game will be run this way or have the same feel as the first home Playoff game in Ohio Stadium history, which featured an attempted stadium takeover by the opposing fans, there are aspects of that experience that the Buckeyes can take and apply to other games.
“I think we learned a lot,” Bjork said. “We were already studying things before that, but we learned a lot from that. So when we play music, how we play music. We have to do sponsor obligations, but how we do that? Can that look different? How we recognize former athletes, award winners.
“I think technology can help, right? So we’re addressing the technology piece of it. Flashing lights and things like that. If we always have noon games, then flashing lights don’t work. So we need more night games. We talked about that. So I think there’s some technology pieces.”
Aside from night games, one of the biggest complaints about Ohio Stadium’s crowds is the lack of noise. Even during big games, the Horseshoe seldom reaches the same decibel level as Penn State’s Beaver Stadium or Wisconsin’s Camp Randall. The size of the student section limits how many of the stadium’s rowdiest fans can gather together.
“By moving the band, by the band going to the north (endzone), the Block O group expands,” Bjork said of a recently announced change at Ohio Stadium. “So they’ll have more in the Block O membership block. So what can we do to engage them? Can we give them something? That’s our symbol, right? People have towels, people have pom-poms, whatever. So working on elements like that. So it’s fan engagement, it’s increasing, I think, student energy in a lot of ways, and then it’s kind of how we script the game.”
While Bjork has been at Ohio State for just over a year, he has quickly embraced many of the Buckeye sports traditions. The athletic director believes that leaning into the historical elements of Ohio State football and finding ways to bring them into the present could add some excitement to game days at the Horseshoe.
“We have this famous ramp, right, that the band comes down. How could we utilize the ramp during the game for recognitions, right?” Bjork suggested. “The victory bell is really symbolic. What could we do with that? So it’s kind of taken the traditional elements and overlaying that with new ideas. Whether it’s some new music, whether it’s different elements that just incorporate our history. Somebody asked me, one of our staff members asked me yesterday, like, what’s been like the really cool thing? And I said, really embracing the history here. Like there’s so many powerful stories that if we weave that in, it’s gonna connect people more. So those are the kind of things that we’re putting together.”
Follow Patrick Murphy on Twitter and Instagram for more Ohio State coverage
What’s next for the Buckeyes? Make sure you’re in the loop — take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Buckeyes newsletter now!
Ohio Stadium celebrates its 103rd anniversary this year, making it one of the oldest active stadiums in college football. While there is only so much that can be done to a century-old venue, there are plans to enhance certain aspects to make it more appealing.
“We are working on new video board, new LED ribbon boards,” Bjork said. “Can’t happen for this year. Hopefully by fall of ’26. So those things are all being (planned). Sound system, as well, a distributed sound system. There’s always gonna be continued improvements around the Shoe, but game day atmosphere, I think, can just take a lift.”
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
