Can Ohio State Football still dominate Big Ten?
By Ryan Stano
![Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Parris Campbell (21) runs the ball as USC Trojans cornerback Isaiah Langley (24) tackles during the third quarter of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the USC Trojans on Friday, December 29, 2017 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. [Joshua A. Bickel/Dispatch]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fa4af8064ef1694f37b55519ee3dc4baed3d858d9e78773afc554432230fc0061.jpg "Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Parris Campbell (21) runs the ball as USC Trojans cornerback Isaiah Langley (24) tackles during the third quarter of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the USC Trojans on Friday, December 29, 2017 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. [Joshua A. Bickel/Dispatch]")
The Ohio State football program has largely dominated the Big Ten over the last decade or so. They have been the best program and the conference’s best hope to win a national title. With the addition of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten starting in 2024, is that still the case?
Last year, we saw some cracks in Ohio State’s armor after they lost two games and let TTUN win the Big Ten for the first time since 2004. Now, USC is a big-name brand that has historical success with football. They have a coach in Lincoln Riley who is one of the brightest minds in the sport.
They also have some of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the country being in Southern California. USC has been down for the last few years or so, that isn’t debatable. But what is debatable is how long they will stay down with Riley now leading the program.
The Ohio State football program has the talent to compete with any program in the country, whether they are in the same conference as them or not. But I also think adding USC makes things a lot harder. It would be even more difficult if the Big Ten also adds Notre Dame.
Ohio State can still compete for a conference title every single year no matter who else is added to the Big Ten. Life will be more difficult in doing that now though. UCLA hasn’t been a great program in a while, so this is mainly about adding USC at the moment.
Next. How adding USC, UCLA affects OSU basketball. dark
We know the conference isn’t done expanding yet, so more programs will be added and it will only get more difficult for Ohio State to be the big man on campus. That doesn’t mean they can’t do it under the direction of Ryan Day.