Things are about to change in the Big Ten.
Thursday’s announcement that USC and UCLA are set to leave the Pac-12 and join Ohio State and company in 2024 was a bombshell in the college athletics world and is sure to have ripple effects across the college football landscape for months to come. and the years – to come.
Other conferences will certainly make attempts to realign in response to the move from the Big Ten, and the Big Ten itself may not be ready to add to its list of member institutions in the near future, if speculation is to be believed. But right now, all we know for sure is that USC and UCLA are just a few years away from becoming new opponents for all the other Big Ten programs.
The impact on Ohio State in particular will be significant for a number of reasons, and we’ve delved into some of them below.
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Another blue chip competitor
Ohio State has largely dominated the Big Ten over the past decade, winning four of the last five conference championships and five of the last eight. But with USC joining the fold, the Buckeyes will have another fierce competitor in the annual race for the conference crown.
Sure, USC has only played in one bowl game in the past four years, but Lincoln Riley’s arrival in Southern California is expected to breathe new life into the lungs of the sleeping giant. Riley’s high-flying offense at Oklahoma produced multiple Heisman Trophy winners and four College Football Playoff appearances, and there’s no doubt that will soon become an expectation for the Trojan program under his leadership.
Excited to be a part of this historic movement-
I can not wait-
Fight!
— Lincoln Riley (@LincolnRiley) July 1, 2022
Although USC hasn’t won a national title since 2004, it has nine in its storied history, which also includes 39 conference championships, 55 bowl appearances and six Heisman Trophy winners. The recruiting cash Riley brings to the table has already been felt in Los Angeles, meaning USC could quickly return to its once-great trajectory moving forward.
Head-to-head, USC is 13-10-1 against the Buckeyes all-time, but won seven straight over Ohio State from 1975 to 2009 before losing to the Scarlet in the 2017 Cotton Bowl.
With USC in the mix, the Buckeyes will have another major threat to contend with for Big Ten supremacy beyond the usual suspects like Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin.
Bigger budget due to Big Ten TV deal
The Big Ten brand will only get bigger with the addition of USC and UCLA, which will expand the conference’s reach from coast to coast. That could mean more money for all member institutions when the Big Ten restructures its television deal in the near future.
According to a June 14 report by Scott Dochternan of The Athletic, Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren and a number of Fox executives recently heard the latest offers from the likes of ABC, CBS, NBC and Amazon for media rights packages. The Big Ten could potentially earn $1 billion a year from the new deal, according to the report.
Note that this was before Thursday’s news regarding USC and UCLA.
The Big Ten footprint will now consist of schools in five of the seven largest metro markets: 1. New York; 2. Los Angeles; 3. Chicago; 6. Washington; 7. Philadelphia.
— Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) June 30, 2022
A monster deal for a new-look Big Ten would increase profits for Ohio State and other programs in the conference, which in turn would lead to expanded budgets for athletics departments in Columbus and beyond.
Not only is this a win for the Ohio State football team, but it will also open up the checkbook for the rest of the Buckeyes’ athletic programs.
Big Ten Won’t Be ‘Abandoned’
With the addition of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC, which will expand the conference to 16 teams in 2025, it was not difficult to open discussions about a super league that could function as its own entity in college football.
The Big 12 was left behind after the move, and the “Alliance” between the Big Ten, Pac-12, and ACC was effectively a countermeasure by the rest of the Power 5 conferences to regain power in the sports landscape. But the parameters of the partnership were unclear from the start, and the relationship was short-lived, as the Big Ten had already snapped up two of the Pac-12’s most prominent member universities.
Pivoting to attract USC and UCLA, the Big Ten made a strong play that would not allow itself to be “left behind” by the mighty SEC, as some feared. With control over multiple major college football markets, the Big Ten will see its relevance grow, which is a bonus for Ohio State as one of the most recognizable brands in sports.
More trips to the Rose Bowl
Normally, the Buckeyes have to punch their ticket to Pasadena with a berth in the Rose Bowl at the end of the season, and in the CFP era, that’s only if the chips fall a certain way for Ohio State.
Ohio State has only played in the Rose Bowl three times since 2009, and the Buckeyes weren’t all that excited to be there this past season because it meant they missed out on a chance to compete for college football’s biggest prize. But with UCLA soon to be in the Big Ten, those trips will be much more frequent, and they won’t mean the Buckeyes are missing out on a better postseason run.
The Buckeyes may not play the Bruins every year given the growing number of teams in the conference, but UCLA’s presence in the Big Ten should ensure Ohio State plays in perhaps college football’s most iconic setting more often. than would otherwise be the case.
Even if Ohio State doesn’t play in Pasadena, it will have more trips to Southern California in general, as the Buckeyes will also play many games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum when USC hosts the Crimson in the coming years.
Increased exposure to California recruiting
Ohio State has already enjoyed a lot of recruiting success in the state of California in recent years. Just ask CJ Stroud and Chris Olave; two of the program’s standout performers over the past few seasons who both hail from Golden State.
With the Big Ten’s reach now expanding west, however, Ohio State will only get more exposure in the recruiting hotbed that is California.
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While Pac-12 fans typically haven’t tuned into Big Ten games, college football fans in Southern California will quickly become indoctrinated into the conference when their favorite teams begin facing teams from the newly realigned league. Of course, Ohio State is the biggest brand of any Big Ten team and will soon be seen regularly in the Los Angeles market during the regular season in a way it never has been before.
Mid-season trips to California could also help the Buckeye coaching staff go to high school games to recruit local prospects, which will certainly help Ohio State’s in-state recruiting efforts in addition to the aforementioned factors.
Impact on basketball, Olympic sports
The Big Ten’s latest additions won’t just affect the Buckeye football program. While USC is by far the more formidable foe on the gridiron, the Ohio State men’s basketball team will soon face two star programs on the hardwood on a regular basis as the Trojans and Bruins join the Big Ten.
UCLA’s storied basketball program has 11 NCAA tournament titles (though none since 1995), was seeded No. 4 in the Big Dance this past season and reached the Final Four in 2021.
USC doesn’t have quite the same historical pedigree in basketball, but the Trojan program has enjoyed similar success in recent years. Under head coach Andy Enfield, USC hasn’t suffered double-digit losses in the past three seasons. The Trojans were seeded No. 7 in the NCAA Tournament last year and No. 6 en route to a regional final berth the year before.
The cross-country travel required for frequent trips to California might seem like something of a problem for Olympic sports, which don’t receive the same financial resources as football or men’s basketball teams. But as we mentioned earlier, the money generated by the Big Ten’s restructured TV deal is helping all parties as the athletics department adjusts to the conference’s new boundaries.
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