Alabama hire weakens Ohio State’s Big Ten opponent but stabilizes national power

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Which would benefit Ohio State football more — one fewer Big Ten championship challenger, or the long-term weakening of the sport’s most elite program of the last two decades?

Neither outcome is guaranteed after Alabama’s hire of Washington’s Kalen DeBoer to succeed Nick Saban on Friday. Other big-time coaching candidates — Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian, Florida State’s Mike Norvell — reaffirmed their commitment to their programs after their names came up in the wake of Saban’s retirement Wednesday.

DeBoer, though, pulled the trigger on Friday — four days after coaching the Huskies against Michigan in the national championship game. He built a pristine 104-12 record over nine seasons at Sioux Falls (with three NAIA championships), Fresno State and Washington.

Now he succeeds the best to ever do it.

Washington must now replace one of the profession’s rising stars as the program moves into Big Ten membership later this year. We don’t yet know the effects of extra travel and the repercussions for recruiting for the Huskies and their fellow West Coast additions. We can assume someone with DeBoer’s background helped the chances for a smooth transition.

Ohio State is already engaged in a battle for Big Ten supremacy with Michigan — one it is currently losing. Penn State looms as a potential power waiting to be taken for granted in the wrong season. Oregon, USC and Washington enter the league as nationally relevant programs with proven abilities to find and develop quarterbacks at or near the same level as the Buckeyes.

If DeBoer moving to the SEC forces Washington to regroup or stalls the momentum of this playoff run, that on the surface looks good for Ohio State.

However, what if DeBoer passed on Alabama, which then had to look farther down its candidate list after all of the above pulled out of contention?

What if Alabama went the way of Texas and USC for the next decade — once mighty powers seemingly happy to nap as sleeping giants? Ohio State’s recruiting took full advantage of those deficiencies in recent years, pulling in numerous major prospects from those states.

If a weakened Alabama opened up more prospects from the deep south, that could arguably help OSU more than Washington taking a hit. With no Big Ten divisions to worry about, and an expanded College Football Playoff on deck, maybe tougher early levels are preferable en route to facing a softer final boss.

The less compelling the hire at Alabama, too, the more likely significant Crimson Tide players would enter the NCAA transfer portal. (A new 30-day window opens for any players whose team loses its coach.) With 2024 recruiting essentially wrapped up, DeBoer’s first order of business is making sure talents such as safety Caleb Downs and edge rusher Keon Keeley stay in Tuscaloosa.

Washington players can enter the portal now, too. Two defensive backs did so as outlets confirmed DeBoer’s departure. Perhaps that last point becomes a wash.

Regardless, Ohio State will feel the effects of this game of musical chairs. it plays Washington in Seattle in 2025 and at home in 2028. It is also scheduled to play Alabama in 2027-28.

Does this switch lower a hurdle to a Big Ten championship, or does it stabilize — or even bolster — an impediment to a national championship?