Thursday, April 17, 2014

Is Ohio State's athletic department underachieving?

Ohio State is ranked 23rd.

Not in one sport. But in all sports combined.

The updated version of the Division I Learfield Sports Directors' Cup were released April 17. Ohio State cracked the top 25. Barely.

Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 20 sports -- 10 men's and 10 women's. This makes Ohio State's ranking more troubling. The school sponsors 37 sports, the highest total in Division I.

Funding those sports isn't an issue. Ohio State's athletic department generated $142,043,057 in revenue in 2012, according to USA Today. Only Texas ($163,295,115) eclipsed that total.

The man leading Ohio State's athletic department is generously paid. Athletic Director Gene Smith has a base salary of $940,484. Bonuses could push his yearly earnings past $1.5 million.

Big money isn't yielding big results. So far in 2013-14, Ohio State has failed to qualify for NCAA tournament play in women's basketball, men's soccer, men's and women's ice hockey, and women's volleyball. The school's prominent spring teams aren't faring any better. The baseball and softball teams are 21-17 and 20-20, respectively.

Ohio State's struggles in multiple competitive sports are glaring after analyzing the standings. Four Big Ten schools -- Penn State (No. 2), Wisconsin (No. 3),  Michigan (No. 5) and Minnesota (No. 7) -- are in the top 10. Michigan State (No. 11) and Nebraska (No. 13) are also ahead of Ohio State.

When it comes to on-field results, Ohio State is a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten athletic department.

-- Guy Cipriano | @newsheraldguy

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