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Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

So are all college sports going to be part of this new entity, or just men's football and basketball? If it is all sports, I think this could be the beginning of the end for the non-revenue sports.

I haven't seen enough detail to hazard a guess.

Logically I would keep the non revenue sports under the old model of the student athlete and make it part of the educational mission as they have done for over 100 years from now.

My basic premise is that the Universities aren't the right organization to house a professional sports team under. That's the new bit that just magnifies the issue, imo.
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'27 NC CG LJ Smith is a Buckeye!!!

Top-40 Class of 2027 Guard LJ Smith Commits to Ohio State​

By Andy Anders on November 20, 2025 at 11:03 am @andyanders55
LJ Smith

Instagram/@ljgodummy4
BOOOOOOM
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Momentum is building bit by bit for Jake Diebler's Ohio State basketball program.
Last week, the Buckeyes signed their highest-rated prospect since the famed Jared Sullinger in five-star small forward Anthony Thompson, alongside a four-star power forward in Alex Smith. On the court, Ohio State passed its first power conference test of the season by beating Notre Dame 64-63.
Now, Jake Diebler has an elite prospect to build around for his 2027 recruiting class. On Thursday, Ohio State landed a commitment from four-star guard LJ Smith, a top-40 prospect in the junior class.

Smith is the No. 35 overall prospect and the No. 5 combo guard in the 247Sports composite rankings for the 2027 recruiting class. Attending Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, he's the No. 1 prospect from the Commonwealth. ESPN values him even higher than the rest of the recruiting services, placing him as its No. 10 overall prospect for 2027.

The Smith File​

  • Class: 2027
  • Size: 6-4/180
  • Pos: G
  • School: Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia)
  • Composite Rating: ★★★★
  • Composite Rank: #35 (#5 CG)
Before transferring to Oak Hill this past offseason, Smith set the North Carolina basketball scene ablaze by breaking the state's single-season for points by a sophomore, racking up 960 in 29 games for an average of 33.1 points per game. It's the fourth-highest scoring season in North Carolina high school history, regardless of grade level.
At 6-foot-4 with long arms, Smith will bring plus-length to either the point or shooting guard position. His tape shows why he set scoring records as a sophomore, he's a lethal shooter with seemingly unlimited range. His highlight tape is loaded with logo shots. But his ball-handling is also smooth as silk, with many of his 3-point looks coming off the dribble, and he's a twitchy athlete with great agility and a quick first step. And a great vertical leap too – there's one clip in the highlights below where he nearly hits his head on the rim on a two-handed dunk.

Smith's commitment comes as a great relief after Ohio State didn't sign a guard in its 2026 recruiting class. The Buckeyes held a commitment from top-50 prospect Marcus Johnson at the position, but he ultimately decommitted in October, shortly after Thompson pledged his services to Ohio State. Johnson has since signed with South Carolina. Diebler said on Friday that the Buckeyes will keep their options open at guard this spring, with star Bruce Thornton set to graduate.
"I think you've gotta have some roster flexibility in the spring," Diebler said when asked about plans to add a guard for next year's roster. "There's so many different buckets that you can recruit from now in college basketball, and some we're still learning about. You have G-league guys, you have international players who have played high-level pro ball, certainly high school players and then the transfer portal. We want to always maintain an element of flexibility in the spring, and I think that's just what our mentality is right now.
"The tricky thing about recruiting is, you spend a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of resources to ultimately figure out, 'No.' That's kind of the nature of recruiting, is sometimes you've gotta figure (that) out. So we're not waiting until the spring. We're continuing to recruit. And we're continuing to recruit years in advance. But everything for us is about fit. It all comes down to fit. And when we find the guys who we think fit at a high level, we go after them with all our attention."
Clearly, Diebler and staff found what they feel is a high-level fit in Smith. He'll be a cornerstone to build around in Ohio State's 2027 recruiting class.
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Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

In this case, it keeps the sports entity from siphoning any money from the educational entity, no?

That's been the assumption I've been under as to "why take the money" from the start.
So are all college sports going to be part of this new entity, or just men's football and basketball? If it is all sports, I think this could be the beginning of the end for the non-revenue sports.
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Game Thread Rutgers at #1 tOSU, Sat. Nov. 22nd, 12 pm ET, FOX

Ohio State does not need to win this game. Sure, it'd be great to win it, but it isn't needed.
A win next week is needed.
Finishing 11-1 should be good enough for 4th or 5th.
I don't know who gets the tiebreaker between Ohio State and Oregon, in that case. And I really don't care today.

My point is that these receivers shouldn't be needed in this game, because this game isn't needed. It'll be senior day. Start all the seniors. Then take out all the seniors we'll need later. Play backups most of the game.
You never play to lose. NEVER. But you do practice and yearn all year to destroy those Cocksuckers. Sit the 2 receivers, keep Bo fresh, and play vanilla. The go full Tressel with the play calling the next week. FUCK EM.
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S Caleb Downs, Captain (All B1G, All-American, National Champion)

Ohio State Safety Caleb Downs Named A Finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy​

By Andy Anders on November 20, 2025 at 10:04 am @andyanders55
Caleb Downs

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Caleb Downs has been one of the best defenders in college football each of the past two seasons for Ohio State. In less than a month, he could be named the best.
Downs was named Thursday as one of four finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is awarded annually to the best defensive player in the NCAA. He joins Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore, Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell and Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez on the list of finalists.
The third and very likely final campaign of Downs' college football career has been another monstrous one. In 10 games, he has 46 tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions and a pass breakup. Targeted 32 times in the passing game per Pro Football Focus, Downs has allowed just 134 receiving yards, an average of 4.2 yards per target. The worst yards-per-attempt passing offense in the country, UMass, averages 4.6.
Downs has been deployed all over the field again this season for Ohio State, seeing 173 snaps at free safety, 156 snaps in the box and 103 in the slot this year, according to PFF. The most versatile and dynamic weapon in defensive coordinator Matt Patricia's secondary, Downs is the backbone of the nation's No. 1 defense in yards allowed per pass attempt (5.1). The Buckeyes are also No. 1 in scoring defense (7.5 points allowed per game) and total defense (212.6 yards allowed per game).
A unanimous All-American and a finalist for the Thorpe Award, which goes to the best defensive back in college football, in 2024, Downs will find out whether he wins the Nagurski – and likely the Thorpe, whose 2025 finalists have not been named yet – during the College Football Awards show on Dec. 12.

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Game Thread Rutgers at #1 tOSU, Sat. Nov. 22nd, 12 pm ET, FOX

Ohio State does not need to win this game. Sure, it'd be great to win it, but it isn't needed.
A win next week is needed.
Finishing 11-1 should be good enough for 4th or 5th.
I don't know who gets the tiebreaker between Ohio State and Oregon, in that case. And I really don't care today.

My point is that these receivers shouldn't be needed in this game, because this game isn't needed. It'll be senior day. Start all the seniors. Then take out all the seniors we'll need later. Play backups most of the game.
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