Ohio State’s New Look Under Ross Bjork: Why Buckeye Fans Can Expect More After‑Dark Kickoffs—and What the Ground‑Breaking Revenue‑Sharing Blueprint Means for College Sports

When first‑year athletic director Ross Bjork stepped to the lectern at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center last Thursday, he did more than give a routine summer update. In 75 brisk minutes, the longtime administrator unveiled a twin‑tracked agenda that sent ripples through the Big Ten and beyond: Ohio State will lobby aggressively for marquee night games, and it has finalized an athlete revenue‑sharing model that could quickly become the template for power‑conference peers.

Bjork told reporters he is “not shy” about pressing television partners for prime‑time windows, arguing that Buckeye Nation deserves more after‑dark showcases than the current media contracts allow. His flash‑point example is the heavyweight opener against Texas on Saturday, August 30, which FOX slotted into its noon “Big Noon Saturday” window. Bjork revealed that he had floated moving the matchup to Sunday night, or at least pushing kickoff past dusk, only to run into inflexible broadcast commitments.

The Big Ten’s new seven‑year, $7‑billion deal carved out prized television real estate, but that inventory is divided strictly among FOX’s noon flagship, NBC’s “Big Ten Saturday Night,” and CBS’s mid‑afternoon block. For Ohio State—a program that routinely draws the largest audiences in college football—the noon slot often feels like a missed national‑spotlight opportunity. Bjork insisted that conversations with FOX executives will continue and hinted at “creative scheduling solutions,” including Sunday or even Friday prime‑time games when academic calendars and local ordinances permit.

While television networks ultimately hold the contracts, the outcry from Buckeye fans may give Bjork some leverage. His message doubles as a branding strategy: a night kickoff is a recruiting commercial, a donor lure, and a celebratory rite for students crammed into the South Stands. “We’re built for big stages,” he said, noting that Ohio Stadium’s permanent LED lighting and the university’s public‑safety infrastructure can handle late kickoffs without straining Columbus officials.

The August showdown with the Longhorns is only the beginning. Looking ahead, Bjork confirmed that Ohio State has asked the Big Ten to seek extra flexibility in 2026 and 2027—years in which the Buckeyes are slated to host Alabama and Georgia in non‑conference blockbusters. Although contractual wiggle room is limited, he believes the league and its partners can carve out at least one major night game each September. If that happens, it would mark a subtle but significant tilt away from the Big Noon philosophy that has dominated Ohio State’s broadcast profile since 2019.

Just as eye‑catching as the scheduling salvo was Bjork’s dissection of the school’s revenue‑sharing framework—Ohio State’s answer to last month’s House v. NCAA antitrust settlement. The federal agreement caps each Division I athletic department’s direct athlete compensation at roughly $20.5 million for 2025–26. Bjork explained that Columbus will reserve $2.5 million for 91 new need‑based and academic scholarships—a carve‑out permitted under the settlement. The remaining $18 million will be distributed among football, men’s and women’s basketball, and women’s volleyball via formulas that reward roster participation and competitive benchmarks.

By dedicating funds to volleyball, Bjork signaled that Ohio State intends to elevate select Olympic sports rather than concentrate the entire pot on the gridiron. Coaches in all four revenue‑sharing sports have already begun modeling salary‑equivalent stipends for upper‑class athletes, while freshmen will earn scaled payouts tied to academic standing. Crucially, future increases are indexed: the cap rises four percent annually, meaning the pool could exceed $25 million by 2030 if Congress or the courts do not intervene.

Ohio State is pairing its revenue‑sharing rollout with the Buckeye Sports Group, an in‑house NIL agency operated in partnership with Learfield. The idea is to wrap traditional licensing, local endorsements, and emerging collective ventures into one streamlined operation. Bjork argued that centralization offers two strategic advantages: transparency for donors wary of third‑party collectives, and holistic athlete development services (media training, tax guidance, and brand‑building workshops) that remain voluntary under NCAA rules.

In practice, that means a football sophomore could receive a base revenue‑sharing stipend, then augment it with a BSG‑brokered endorsement from an Ohio‑based automotive group, and still ink a separate apparel incentive with Nike—all while drawing from the same compliance staff. The model resembles pro sports front offices more than the patchwork system that proliferated during the NIL free‑for‑all of 2021‑24. Bjork believes such structure will prove attractive to both recruits and corporate sponsors: “Consistency is currency,” he quipped.

Bjork was careful to emphasize that revenue and branding upgrades do not eclipse Ohio State’s academic mission. He spotlighted a department‑wide 3.37 GPA, record APR scores—including a perfect figure for football—and more than $80 million raised in philanthropy during fiscal 2024‑25, the largest haul in school history. Those metrics, he said, “allow us to dream big without compromising who we are.”

Still, change is accelerating. Two senior administrators—communications chief Jerry Emig and deputy AD Janine Oman—will retire within a year, and Bjork has ordered national searches that prioritize digital‑media savvy and data analytics expertise. A new Center for Sports Intelligence and Strategy will crunch fan‑engagement numbers to support the night‑game campaign and refine ticket‑pricing models in the revenue‑sharing era.

Bjork’s blueprint arrives at a pivotal juncture. The House settlement forced every Power Four school to confront direct pay for play, but few have been as transparent about their math. By disclosing specific scholarship offsets and sport‑by‑sport splits, Ohio State challenges rivals to meet or exceed its athlete‑first optics—or risk falling behind in recruiting battles. Meanwhile, the public jockeying for prime‑time real estate puts pressure on FOX, NBC, and CBS to revisit rigid windows that sometimes clash with fan appetites. Combined, the two moves underscore the power a mega‑brand can wield when administrative vision aligns with a restless fan base.

For now, Buckeye supporters will watch the calendar. If network executives relent, the Horseshoe could sparkle under the lights more often, amplifying the scarlet‑and‑gray spectacle that is already college football’s most‑watched draw. And for the 800‑plus student‑athletes who wear that uniform—not only Heisman‑contending quarterbacks but liberos and point guards—the revenue‑sharing era promises a tangible stake in the very excitement they create.

Bjork closed his presser with a succinct rallying cry: “Our tradition fuels us, but innovation will define our future.” If he delivers on both night‑game thrills and equitable athlete compensation, Ohio State may well set the standard for what major‑college athletics looks like in the post‑amateurism age. For fans eager to sing “Carmen Ohio” beneath a starlit sky—and for players finally sharing in the spoils—that future cannot arrive soon enough.