Ted Carter, the president of the Ohio State University, gave little insight into whether or not the Big Ten would explore an alternative payout structure that'd mirror what the ACC just agreed to with the Florida State Seminoles and Clemson Tigers. OSU and TTUN are similar juggernauts, but on a much larger scale than FSU and Clemson. The payouts could be seismic.
Carter didn't say much, though he did recognize that Ohio State was a massive brand befitting of a record payout.
“I don't want to get into the type of conversations that are happening inside the Big Ten. I would just tell you that we're a proud member of the Big Ten, and that's where we're going to stay. We have … our own bylaws for how we do the distributions. When new members join the conference, they don't always come in at the same share, as you know. So … that's the way our media rights deals are set up. That's how we're set up for now." Carter said, per USA Today.
“We don't have any answers. I will say that there's only a couple of schools that really represent the biggest brands in the Big Ten, and you can see that by the TV viewership. I mean, look what we just went through with the Texas game (Ohio State’s football season opener). ... You know, 16.(6) million people watching that game over the whole game. And it peaked at 18.6 million. It's the most-watched opening game in history, third-largest game ever watched in a regular season (on Fox). So, that's what happens when you put the Ohio State brand out there.”
Carter claimed he'd be involved with OSU's athletic programs when he arrived in Columbus. He certainly sounds locked in, reeling off the team's ratings in their 14-7 win over the Texas Longhorns in Week 1.
We just won't get an insight into what exactly he's locked in on behind the scenes from a monetary perspective until the information embargo is lifted.
If there's an embargo in place to begin with.