Ohio State Football: Conference realignment has ruined college football

The Ohio State football program will always be in a position of power. With the number of alumni they have around the world and the amount of money that the football program brings in, they will never have to worry about realigning to a conference that doesn’t fit their needs.

Now that the Big Ten is 18 teams, the Buckeyes will have quite a few new opponents to face next season. The Big Ten, which used to just be in the Midwest, now contains programs from coast-to-coast. Is that really a good thing for college football? I say no.

What makes this sport great are the rivalries that were built on regionality. Teams had to play each other every year because they were close and in the same conference. Now, teams have switched conferences so much that these sacred rivalries mean nothing to administrators.

Can I get more money elsewhere? Great, I’ll join your conference! That’s the mindset of those in charge of college football. Money and greed are driving the decisions of those people making decisions that affect hundreds of student-athletes at their institutions.

I think football will suffer as a product of this. The Ohio State football team no longer will play Penn State every year. Is that a good thing? I’d say no. Those are some of the best games that the Big Ten has to offer every year. This is a sport that ultimately aims to entertain.

Conferences aren’t done changing either. Several ACC schools aren’t happy with their TV deal either. They want out to either the Big Ten or the SEC where they can make more money. That will further destroy rivalries that have built the very foundation of the sport we love.

I never want to hear someone in power complain about NIL ever again. Every decision these college administrators have been making off the backs of these student-athletes has been about money. Those same student-athletes deserve a cut of that money too.