Ohio State football: The reason for adding USC and UCLA

Ok, so, who had USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten on their What Might Happen in College Football bingo card? Anyone? If you did, then you got to put one of those round, red markers on a space you thought would never be filled. Nobody saw this one coming. No one on the Ohio State football team did, that’s for sure.

I’ve seen various takes on this ranging from “Why are they taking those two?” to “It’s a dumb move.” Big Ten haters in the media are having a field day. The same people who praised SEC commissioner Greg Sankey for making a shrewd move to broker a backdoor deal to bring in Texas and Oklahoma are incredulous that Big Ten boss Kevin Warren would take two teams away from another conference.

For those wondering why bring in these two particular schools, the answer is easy. M-O-N-E-Y. Money. Plain and simple. This is about money. Money for the Big Ten. Money for USC and UCLA. The distance doesn’t matter. The strain that distance will put on travel for athletes in non-revenue sports doesn’t matter. Blowing up the tradition of conferences being regional doesn’t matter. Money matters.

Here are some numbers to keep in mind: 40, 20, 2, 3, and 7. The Big Ten’s TV contract brought in $40 million for each of the conference’s members last year. The PAC-12’s TV contract brought in just under $20 million for each conference member. Los Angeles is the number 2 TV market in the country.

Starting with the 2024 football season when USC and UCLA officially join, the Big Ten will have a presence in the top 3 markets (New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago) and 7 of the top 20. The Big Ten’s TV contract expires at the end of 2023. When the conference sits down to negotiate a new deal, it will mean one thing in the end: everyone is going to make a lot more money. A LOT more money.

There are a myriad of ramifications and a lot of dominoes ready to fall as a result of USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten. There are a few reasons other than money why the conference gladly accepted these two, but those can be delved into at another time because they pale in comparison to the real basis for this move: money. Lots of it.

It is said to be the root of all evil. It is said it changes everything. It is said it makes the world go ‘round. The clinking, clacking sound of money, money, money, money certainly makes the college football world go ’round. Now, we’ll see how the Ohio State football program adapts.