WATCH: Ohio State AD Gene Smith press conference to address B1G expansion news
COLUMBUS — Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith and President Kristina M. Johnson met with the media for a press conference to address the talks of Big Ten expansion.
According to multiple reports, first by Jon Wilner of the Pac 12 Hotline and the Mercury News, UCLA and USC are “planning to leave for the Big Ten as early as 2024.” The move has already been finalized and voted on, and it will shift everything for Ohio State, the Big Ten and the sport of college football.
“We are excited about the opportunity this new partnership represents for The Ohio State University and for our student-athletes to compete with their peers from two storied athletics programs,” Smith and President Kristina M. Johnson said in a statement released Thursday night. “USC and UCLA are leading research universities that will enhance the Big Ten Conference in the classroom and on the field of competition. More than 25,000 alumni of Buckeye Nation call the state of California home and will soon have the chance to deepen their connections to the student-athletes who run, pass, swim and play in the sports they love.”
Smith and Johnson are expected to touch on those issues and plenty more.
Watch the full press conference here or on the Lettermen Row Youtube channel.
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