I don’t get too worked up about what’s scheduled for 2022 and 2023, because I may not be on the schedule for 2022 or 2023. Or even this weekend.

(I sure hope that by the end of the weekend this doesn’t turn out to be the creepiest thing on the Internet other than this. It won’t. I have the strength of 10 men. But really, 291 million views of the video I linked in the first sentence of this paragraph? You cannot be serious!)

Anyway, praise to Ohio State for not only scheduling a home-and-away football series in 2018 and 2019, but the Buckeyes have added a two-game series with Texas for 2022 and 2023.

“We’re changing our philosophy because we’re obviously going to move into a playoff structure that I don’t think all of us really understand yet, how the committee’s going to work,” Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith said. “Many of us are assuming it’s going to work similar to the (NCAA tournament) basketball committee, so your non-conference schedule will come into consideration as they evaluate whether or not you’re going to be one of those final four teams.”

Good, good. Now the trick is for OSU to keep its football program away from NCAA probation.

And it would help the Buckeyes if TCU still has a strong football team six and seven years from now. How one could predict that, I have no idea. But you’re better off taking a shot with the Horned Frogs than, say, the Akron Zips.

Wisconsin claims its trying to upgrade future nonconference schedules, too. UW Athletic Director Barry Alvarez said the Badgers tried to get a home-and-away (why are they called home-and-home by many?) series with Alabama scheduled, but Bama Coach Nick Saban said no.

Other notable Big Ten nonconference games in the future include:

Michigan State vs. Oregon in 2014 and 2015

Michigan State vs. Alabama in 2016 and 2017

Michigan State vs. Miami (Fla.) in 2020 and 2021

Michigan State vs. Boise State in 2022 and 2023

Northwestern vs. Stanford in 2015 and 2016, and 2019 through 2022

Northwestern vs. Notre Dame in 2014 and 2018

Ohio State vs. Virginia Tech in 2014 and 2015

Ohio State vs. Oklahoma in 2016 and 2017

Ohio State vs. Georgia in 2020 and 2021

Wisconsin vs. Virginia Tech in 2016 and 2017

Nebraska vs. Miami (Fla.) in 2014 and 2015

Nebraska vs. Tennessee in 2016 and 2017

Indiana vs. Missouri in 2013 and 2014

Iowa vs. Pittsburgh in 2014 and 2015

Iowa vs. Iowa State every year for the foreseeable future