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Vo. 1, No. 35
This week in Ohio State football, we have an uncomfortable question, one I never thought I would ask.
Would the Buckeyes be better off as an independent?
That would have seemed crazy to me until very recently, but now I’m not so sure.
I might be inclined to change my mind as the world of college sports continues to spiral toward out of control.
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I’m not trying to throw out a hot take here. Not making any bold declarations or predictions.
But I’m really down on the Big Ten thanks to commissioner Tony Petitti’s unrelenting efforts to destroy all that is good and decent in college sports at the behest of his Fox Sports overlords.
Not only has the Big Ten been credited with spawning discussion for a ludicrous 24-team College Football Playoff that is totally unnecessary and would drastically devalue the regular season for teams like Ohio State, it’s also no doubt among the driving forces for the abhorrent plan to expand the NCAA Tournament.
While the former hasn’t happened yet, it seems inevitable, and the latter is unfortunately already going to be reality next March.
Then there’s this: Duke is partnering with Amazon to put multiple Blue Devils nonconference basketball games on Prime Video (including one against Michigan) next season. The deal circumvents the ACC’s television deal (and perhaps the Big Ten’s) and presents a big revenue opportunity for one of the biggest brands in college basketball.
That led long-time CFB writer Matt Hayes to wonder if a school like Ohio State might just be better off going it alone.
Don’t kid yourselves, Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, Apple — or any streaming service worth its weight in dragging, commercial-filled garbage — will throw millions upon millions upon millions for seven Ohio State home games.
Live sports is the only guaranteed winner in broadcast television and streaming. Live sports with Ohio State? A revenue-driving king.
And what’s the Big Ten going to do? Tell Ohio State you’re either with us, or you’re out of the league?
Four words: There will be suitors.
Ohio State's value in this environment is probably three times the $91.5 million the Big Ten paid the Buckeyes in fiscal 2024-25. The Ohio State-Michigan game alone is worth $100 million annually.
I don’t care how much money Ohio State or anyone else makes, but you know who does care about that? Ohio State, so it is fair to wonder how this Duke deal is being received in Columbus.
Why should Ohio State’s brand and power be used to supplement the Minnesotas of the world? If you don’t think this is happening — and a lot sooner than you think — you’re the same person who thinks the player movement toothpaste can be put back in the tube.
I’ve always thought Big Ten teams — the original ones, anyway — are better together than apart.
Ohio State needs a foil in Michigan, but they also need someone to smack around on the other Saturdays.
(To be clear, any move would certainly include keeping the Ohio State-Michigan game intact as that is the most valuable asset either school has.)
I suppose it matters less than ever who fills the undercard, especially since they already traded many games with the likes of Illinois and Iowa and Michigan State for trips to the West Coast or (shudders) Rutgers or Maryland.
Is the band-aid already half ripped off?
I do feel Ohio State football — and to a lesser extent Michigan — has carried the Big Ten for two decades.
Not only that, none of the changes to the league have benefited the Buckeyes. Not all of them are bad, per se, either, but they haven’t done anything but cheapen games against other conference teams that used to have juice, reduce the stakes of the Michigan game and make winning the Big Ten itself more difficult/less valuable.
Yes, they got more money from the league’s TV deals, but Ohio State’s monetary reward for Big Ten expansion has been exactly the same as Purdue’s or Northwestern’s.
I do not want Ohio State to go independent, though unlike NCAA Tournament expansion or a 24-team CFP, I do see the potential upside if OSU could start calling the shots as far as scheduling (and make more money doing it, though I also don’t care how much money they make).
It’s not worth all that would probably go out the window with it — yet. But I reserve the right to change my mind, especially as long as Petitti and Co. continue to set things on fire.
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What else is going on this week?
Speaking of TV, we should start learning soon when some of Ohio State’s 2026 games will kick off.
The Game is sure to be at noon on Fox, and Texas being a night game on ABC is also highly likely.
Some other games are likely to be announced, too, especially for September.
If you’re wondering how all that works, Steve Helwagen has a nice explainer at Bucknuts.com you can find HERE.
Meanwhile, Julian Sayin appeared on the podcast hosted by Rob Stone, Urban Meyer and Mark Ingram.
He touched on a few interesting topics, including the impact (so far) of Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator, what he’s working on this offseason and how the team felt going into the Michigan game last week.
Here’s the whole thing:
At the same time, we’ve been having an interesting discussion on the BuckeyeSports.com message board about Sayin’s draft status for 2027.
Yes, that is putting the cart before the horse, but it is interesting because guys like Sayin are no longer guaranteed to be three-and-done in college thanks to the introduction of name, image and likeness payments.
Of course his draft stock in January will be heavily tied to not only the type of season he has but also what the Buckeyes do, so there are a few variables to consider (not to mention the impact on a certain five-star prospect from Bellefontaine).
What do you think?
That’s all for this week, but make sure you check out my third edition of Tressel Tales, a series looking back at Jim Tressel’s first season as head coach of the Buckeyes as it unfolded 25 years ago.
It went out Tuesday, which is my goal for a regular publishing time.
After going over the spring outlook for the offense in 2001, I’ll have the defensive overview next week.
