A New Big Ten Member Will Be Ohio State's Biggest Competition Through 2030

A new addition to the Big Ten is in line to be Ohio State's stiffest competition for at least the next five years.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Anthony Brown (13) is pursued by Ohio State Buckeyes defensive tackle Haskell Garrett (92) and Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Denzel Burke (29) during Saturday's NCAA Division I football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on September 11, 2021. Osu21ore Bjp 753 / Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch /

For years the East has been significantly stronger than the West when evaluating the Big Ten Conference. In recent history, Michigan and Ohio State have been number one and two with Penn State firmly in the third best spot.

With the additions of USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon to the conference this year, along with Jim Harbaugh making the move to the NFL as the Los Angeles Chargers head coach, there will be one big change at the top of the conference.

Dan Lanning has the Oregon Ducks headed in the trajectory of becoming a consistent College Football Playoff contender. This all goes back to recent recruiting success for the Ducks.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore during the Oregon Ducks’ Spring Game Saturday, April 27. 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

The past few recruiting classes for Oregon have ranked in the top ten on 247 Sports. Not only did 2023's class rank at ninth overall, but the rankings have only improved from there. This past 2024 class posted an overall ranking of fourth and next year's 2025 class currently sits at sixth overall.

Back-to-back-to-back years of top-tier recruiting classes has set the Ducks up for significant success. The talent that Oregon is bringing in more closely rivals the Ohio State Buckeyes, who have ranked in the top five of recruiting classes since 2020, than what Michigan and Penn State have been able to acquire recently.

Even at the end of June on the 29th, four-star cornerback Dorian Brew chose the Ducks over Ohio State and Texas, despite receiving several crystal ball predictions in favor of the Buckeyes.

With no divisions anymore in the Big Ten and only a small amount of protected matchups, Ohio State versus Oregon could easily begin to have some semblance of a rivalry as they go toe-to-toe on the recruiting trail and in-turn clash on the gridiron in massive regular season matchups. They then could even potentially meet in the Big Ten Championship Game or in the 12-team College Football Playoffs.

Sep 11, 2021; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) scores a touchdown in the third quarter against the Oregon Ducks at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports / Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

As long as Dan Lanning remains the head coach of Oregon for many years to come, then the foreseeable future through about 2030 looks extremely promising for a potential perennial power.

This season the Bucks and Ducks clash in Eugene on October 12th. Don't be shocked if these two teams meet again later in the season and this becomes the Big Ten's version of Georgia versus Alabama in recent SEC history.