Ross Bjork Sounds Off On Ohio State Buckeyes' High Expectations

Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork is fully aware of the high expectations surrounding the Buckeyes heading into this coming season.

Mar 18, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State s incoming athletic director Ross Bjork speaks during the introductory press conference for basketball head coach Jake Diebler at Value City Arena. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

The Ohio State Buckeyes recently installed Ross Bjork as their new athletic director, replacing Gene Smith, who had previously served in that capacity since 2005.

Bjork understands he isn't taking the reins at some mid-major school or a university that doesn't come with significant pressure. He knows what is at stake in Columbus, and he has no problem admitting it going into his first year at the helm.

“Just like college athletics is evolving and that conversation exists, the conversation around Ohio State football remains the same,” Bjork said of the Buckeyes' expectations, via Marcus Hartman of The Dayton Daily News. “This is what we signed up for. Coach (Ryan) Day knows that. I know that."

Ohio State may very well have the most talented roster in the country heading into this coming season, so it is surely a championship-or-bust type of year for the Buckeyes.

“That’s the exciting thing is every year Ohio State is expected to contend, and that’s not going away," added Bjork. "So when you sign up for that, you embrace that.”

The Buckeyes have not won a national championship since 2014, so the fans are starting to get antsy. To make matters worse, Ohio State has lost three straight games to arch rival Michigan after having won the previous eight meetings.

That has put an awful lot of duress on Day, who is about to enter his sixth campaign as the Buckeyes' full-time head coach.

The good news is that Bjork seems to like what Day is building.

"I’ve been really, really impressed with how he’s led and how he’s developed his staff and all those things," Bjork said.

Now it's time for Day to bring the national title back to Columbus.

Based on how immensely talented Ohio State looks heading into 2024, it may only be a matter of time before that occurs.