The Ohio State football program has done a great job of adapting to the times. They have been able to embrace NIL and the changes that have happened in college sports at large. Leadership has done a good job of positioning the Buckeyes to function well in the future.
Unfortunately for the rest of college sports, the NCAA has done everything but prepare for the future. They have been trying to halt progress for the better part of a decade, even though the power brokers in college athletics saw this coming. Instead of making rules to govern the future of college football, they stalled.
Now the NCAA is in a position where they are playing from behind. The new House settlement is in front of Congress in order for it to become law. Of course, it is stalling because lawmakers can't agree on anything, and now the future of college sports is still in flux.
Why the bill stalling in Congress could be bad for Ohio State
If the bill stalls, Ohio State could be in trouble. They are one of the few programs in the country that is well-positioned to keep all of their varsity sports, even with the NIL era coming. They make enough money from the football program alone to keep a lot of sports afloat.
Everything they have planned might be gone if this bill doesn't pass and Congress can't get some law on the books. It's not just Ohio State that this would spell trouble for, either. In fact, it would mostly affect most of the smaller programs across the country.
If Congress can't help the NCAA, schools might just start splitting off from the NCAA to do their own thing. College sports could end as we currently know them. It would be a horrible end to what has been a 100+ year era of great college athletic moments.