A free-agency battle involving two bitter rivals is currently brewing, but it’s not in any pro sports league. Rather, it’s between the Michigan and Ohio State football programs, spotlighting how quickly and dramatically the economic landscape in college sports is changing. 

In the days following Michigan’s win in the College Football Playoff, Ohio State is reportedly spending at least $10 million and perhaps $13 million in name, image, and likeness (NIL) money to retain and add key roster pieces. The numbers are unconfirmed, but the frenzy surrounding the Buckeyes has still grown to the point where it’s captured the attention of The Wall Street Journal, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, and legions of fans across the country. Houston Texans quarterback and former Buckeye CJ Stroud has also become a “major donor” to the school as it ramps up for next season.

Michigan, meanwhile, is said to have made a new contract offer to Jim Harbaugh that would have made him the highest-paid coach in college football. But the big-dollar move was ultimately in vain, as the Los Angeles Chargers announced on Wednesday night that they have agreed to terms with Harbaugh to be their next head coach. Harbaugh’s deal is for five years, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

These expenditures follow the Buckeyes’ losing the last three iterations of “The Game” to the Wolverines, each time while ranked No. 2 in the country. Recent transfer commitments include Alabama recruits Julian Sayin at quarterback, safety Caleb Downs, and center Seth McLaughlin, plus Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins and Kansas State quarterback Will Howard.

“Instead of complaining, everybody’s put their money where their mouth is,” Drew Esler, vice president of The 1870 Society, an Ohio State collective, told the WSJ. 

Kiffin’s public notice of Ohio State’s spending, meanwhile, prompted a response from former Buckeyes star Maurice Clarett, who tweeted, “All is fair in love and war. Get on your boosters and collectives to compete. Free agency has officially started!!!”

The financial arms race arrives as the college NIL landscape remains unsettled, operating without firm guardrails to promote competitive equity and aid in financial planning—all while the NCAA continues to struggle mightily with the future of amateurism. 

Fresh off the record-level signings of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Los Angeles Dodgers are about to embark on arguably the most-anticipated season in the team’s long and celebrated history. And Dodgers coverage plans from the local newspaper of record are now decidedly unknown. 

The Los Angeles Times is laying off at least 115 people, representing more than 20% of its newsroom, and the cuts include its beat writers for the Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels and Clippers, leaving the outlet without traveling writers for nine local pro teams. The layoffs follow reported annual losses exceeding $30 million and a festering labor dispute between Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong and the L.A. Times Guild.

Industry sources say the newspaper’s upcoming coverage of the 2024 Dodgers is among the many unanswered questions, and the now-laid-off Dodgers beat writer Jack Harris had been seen as one of the industry’s rising stars. 

“They’re not even trying anymore,” tweeted veteran sportswriter Tim Brown. 

But even as the Times retreats from its long-running status as one of the nation’s leading newspapers, particularly in sports coverage, the media outlet is hardly alone. Over the past year, many others, such as Sports Illustrated, The Athletic, The New York Times, ESPN, and the NFL Network, have similarly engaged in significant staff cuts. And many outlets that have avoided or curbed layoffs have still cut back heavily on sending reporters on the road to cover local teams, further eroding many norms of sports coverage that fans have come to know for decades. 

“Cutting traveling writers’ expenses is an easy target, and understandable from purely a spreadsheet standpoint,” Brian Moritz, a professor at St. Bonaventure University who teaches and studies sports journalism, tells Front Office Sports. “But it’s also the start of the proverbial slippery slope that brings us to where we are now. The net result is a real loss for the fan.”

Four teams are playing for a trip to Super Bowl LVIII this weekend, and that means conspiracy theories around the NFL’s title game have reached a fever pitch.

The AFC Championship Game will be officiated by referee Shawn Smith’s crew, whom betting analyst Warren Sharp claims has an “overwhelming tendency to favor the road team.” The numbers appear to back that statement up: Home teams have won 40.8% of games—the lowest rate in the NFL under a specific referee—in the last three years with Smith as referee. During that same period, home teams across the league have won 55.4% of the time. Of course, any perceived advantage for the Kansas City Chiefs on the road against the Baltimore Ravens fits nicely into the idea that the NFL would benefit from Taylor Swift attending the Super Bowl, which likely wouldn’t happen without Travis Kelce on the field. However, another conspiracy theory goes against the Chiefs favoritism.

Some fans are claiming that the Super Bowl LVIII logo—which is primarily red and purple—is a sign that the Feb. 11 matchup has been predetermined to feature San Francisco and Baltimore, who would  fit the color scheme. (The previous two Super Bowls also featured colors similar to both participants.)

The Power of 34

Finally, there’s undeniably something crazy about the Harbaughs and the number 34:

• 2002: Jack Harbaugh’s Western Kentucky Hilltoppers won their first I-AA championship, defeating the McNeese State Cowboys 34−14.
• 2013: John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens beat the Jim Harbaugh-led San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII.
• 2024: Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines defeated the Washington Huskies 34-13 to win the College Football Playoff national championship game.

Check out this TikTok explaining even more of the wild connections. For now, will John Harbaugh’s Ravens score 34 points again, on their way to another NFL title?