Gene Smith on financial impact of USC, UCLA to the Big Ten's media rights deal: 'it'll be major'

Teams all over the country are beginning to uproot traditions and move conferences, choosing the financial opportunities over loyalty. With the additions of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten conference is an intriguing situation for Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith when it comes to their media rights deals.

“It’s hard at this point in time to really project the total impact,” Smith said of USC and UCLA’s cut of the Big Ten media rights deals when they join the conference in 2024. “All we know is now we’re in the top three media markets in the country – New York, Chicago and California.

“So Kevin [Reis] – who’s done a marvelous job with this process – we’ll continue to have discussions with our media partners throughout this month … We’ll have something determined, but it’s hard to project an actual number or quantify it at this point in time.”

Based on the fact that the SEC are gaining major players in Texas and Oklahoma, and now USC and UCLA’s move to the Big Ten will make the two conferences by far the most profitable and sought after to join in terms of revenue media rights – which could greatly benefit the Buckeyes financially.

“We have a number of different media partners who are very interested in some type of relationship,” Smith said. “We’ll just have to see how that cascades over the next ‘X’ number of weeks.”

In the meantime, there are still two seasons to be played before the Bruins and Trojans will officially join their new conference. Once they do, Ohio State will look to cash in on their new market west coast market and come out the other side

Smith believes these moves further proves his point that the Big Ten and the SEC have separated themselves from the rest of the college football world.

“There definitely will be a significant upside [to USC and UCLA joining the conference],” Smith said. “It’s just hard to say what that will be – but it’ll be major. Picking up California … So when you think about all of our schools going out there, it’s going to be major. I’m really excited about that possibility, and we just have to wait and see.”