Ohio State being open to a massive billion-dollar investment could be evidence that the university is struggling to maintain a very high standard in the NIL era.
Things have never been better for college football fans in Columbus, OH. The Buckeyes program is the cream of the crop in the sport. They are the defending National Champions in football, and enter Week 12 of the season as the No. 1 team in the nation. To many analysts, they are a heavy favorite to achieve a rare feat and repeat as champs early next year.
Their dominance over the last two years is surely bringing in massive sums of revenue to a school that has one of the best fan bases in sports. Yet, Ohio State is surprisingly among the universities that feel what they are making on their own and from the Big Ten is not enough.
- Ohio State record: 9-0
According to a Yahoo report from over the weekend, executives from around the conference are pushing hard to finalize a rumored $2.4 billion investment from the University of California pension system. In the deal that would give the Big Ten’s 18 schools $140 million in annual up-front payments for 20 years, the conference will hand over a 10% stake in Big Ten Enterprises and receive a cut of the league’s television income.
Just two schools are not in favor of the proposed investment, and neither is Ohio State. It is understandable for bottom-feeder teams in the conference to push for the deal so they can better compete with powerhouses like OSU, Oregon, and Michigan. But it makes sense for the Buckeyes to be against a deal so they can continue to have a stranglehold on the conference’s biggest sport. So could this be evidence that the most successful school in the Big Ten right now needs money?
Does Proposed Investment Suggest Ohio State Needs Money?
College sports fans know that name, image, and likeness rules forever changed team-building in collegiate sports. No longer was it about the unique skill of persuading a high school player to commit to your school. Similar to the professional ranks, it all comes down to cold, hard cash. And Ohio State has benefited from the new landscape of college sports.
Did the Buckeyes have a great roster and coaching staff last year, and that is why they won a National Championship? Yes, but they also spent an NCAA-leading $20 million for their title-winning team. That continues as they pursue a repeat and reportedly have two of the 11 highest-paid NIL players in 2025, Caleb Downs and Julian Sayin.
- Ohio State NIL costs (2024): $20 million
It has been very costly for Ohio State to reach the mountain top of college football, and that won’t change any time soon. Furthermore, that is only one sport. What about college basketball and trying to matter again in that sport?
The conference expanded in a major way during this decade, specifically so it could land huge TV deals. To give 10% away for up-front money is alarming. It’s hard to gauge the motive of the schools that want the up-front money instead of relying on the system they built.
However, when it comes to Ohio State, one has to wonder if the bill has come due on their recent football success, and the school is making a questionable business decision to recoup losses from helping Ryan Day win it all last year.
