Ohio State paid a bigger price than we thought to win a national championship

The Ohio State football team walked away from the College Football Playoff as undisputed national champions after defeating Notre Dame 34-23 in Atlanta, Georgia on Jan. 20. It was a long and windy road to get there but only a team with significant resources could've pulled it off in the inaugural year of the 12-team tournament format.

Indeed, the Buckeyes entered the 2024-25 season with said resources and an eye on the prize. Reports revealed Ohio State paid out roughly $20 million in NIL to its football players this year, money that seems to have been well spent now that it has resulted in the national championship trophy returning to Columbus for the first time since 2014-15.

However, that number now appears to be a massive underestimation of the cost to the school's athletic budget. The Columbus Dispatch reported Monday that Ohio State operated with a whopping $38 million deficit for fiscal year 2024. The school apparently spent $292.7 million total between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024 while experiencing a drop in revenue - $24.9 million less than the previous year to be exact.

Ohio State truly broke the bank in its quest for a football national championship

That kind of expenditure would set back any other school without the brand recognition Ohio State is privileged to own so far that it would probably never recover. In this new era of NIL, revenue sharing and the transfer portal this apparently is just the cost of doing business in college sports.

"While last year’s budget impact is not ideal and there were unique circumstances at play, we have a robust expense and revenue plan that has been implemented and have made great progress in this ever-changing landscape of college athletics,” athletic director Ross Bjork said in a statement issued as part of a news release. “We will make sure we operate with a balanced budget moving forward."

Bjork's prioritizing the football program and the successful attempt at winning a national championship and the spoils that come with will still come at a serious cost school-wide. He told the Columbus Dispatch in August that several other sports will have to operate closer to a club model instead of participating as full NCAA recognized Division I programs.

That's going to have a huge impact on student-athletes' lives, all in the name of the supposed money-making football team and winning more championships. The 2024-25 trophy better have been worth it for the Buckeyes because bill always comes due and they may be paying it off for quite some time to come.