COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio State said Wednesday it has canceled a home-and-home football series with Washington that was scheduled for 2024 and 2025.

Ohio State initiated the move and will pay a $500,000 cancellation penalty to Washington, a Pac-12 member, by February 2025, athletic director Gene Smith said.

The cancellation will allow the Big Ten program to add an eighth nonconference home game in both the 2024 and ‘25 seasons.

“I have the utmost respect for the University of Washington and for Director of Athletics Jennifer Cohen, and this was a very difficult call to make,” Smith said.

Ohio State’s 2024 schedule won’t be formally announced until October.

It could include a conference game against new members UCLA or USC when they jump from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten that fall.

The expanded 12-team College Football Playoff also begins with the 2024 season.