They were led by 13th-year head coach Frank Solich and played their home games at Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio as members of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference.

They received an invitation to the Bahamas Bowl where they defeated UAB.

In a preseason poll of league media, Ohio was picked to win the East Division with 11 first place votes.

[3] Source:[4] Ohio announced their 2017 football schedule on January 23, 2017.

[5] In out-of-conference play, the Bobcats will host Hampton and Kansas and will travel to Purdue and former MAC-affiliate UMass.