Ohio State Football: Who should the Big Ten prioritize in realignment?
By Ryan Stano
It seems that conference realignment talk will never end. Now that the Big Ten has pretty much killed the Pac-12, programs all over the country are scrambling to find themselves in a better position. The Ohio State football program could have more new foes soon.
We know that the Big Ten is in talks with Oregon, Washington, Stanford, and Cal in the Pac-12 about possible expansion. Florida State now has voiced its concern about the amount of money coming in through the ACC TV deal and said it might have to look elsewhere.
So with a bunch of schools possibly looking for new homes, who should the Big Ten prioritize? It’s been reported that they covet Oregon and Washington the most from the Pac-12. That makes sense given the other schools that are in that conference.
Florida State would be an attractive school to bring in from the Southeast. The problem with any school leaving the ACC is the enormous buyout to leave the conference. If FSU wanted to leave, they would have to pay $30 million annually over the next ten years. That’s a lot of money.
I think Oregon and Washington are the right programs to prioritize right now. Stanford and Cal might help boost the academic prestige of the Big Ten, but none of these decisions are being made with academics in mind. It’s all about how much money they bring in.
Next. Ohio State has surprisingly never played these FBS teams. dark
Whoever the Big Ten brings in, the Ohio State football program is still the king of the conference when it comes to revenue. Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and USC will be the four big boys of the Big Ten. At some point, you have to wonder if they will change their name to reflect the number of teams in the conference. I just want this realignment stuff to stop.