Opinion: Why is the Big Ten falling behind in College Baseball?

When it comes to college baseball, which conferences do you think of the most?

Normally, fans would say the ACC, the Big 12 and, of course, the kings of the NCAA, the SEC.

Despite being a Power Four conference and rivaling the SEC at the top of college football and basketball, the Big Ten is seemingly ignored by fans and ranking committees alike on the diamond.

For example, the Iowa Hawkeyes are not ranked in any of the national weekly polls despite sitting atop the Big Ten standings with a 31-13 overall record.

From geographical difficulties to spreading the wealth across spring sports, here are some reasons for why the Big Ten is not reaching its potential in college baseball.

Not enough national television exposure

During the regular season, the Big Ten struggles to give baseball fans a full experience without the willingness to pay extra.

All contests not nationally televised are streamed on Big Ten Plus–a pay-per-view service–restricting most fans from seeing their favorite team in action.

Big Ten Network has averaged two scheduled baseball games per week, with only one weekend doubleheader.

Having to compete with softball, mens and womens lacrosse, the Big Ten has their hands full with national streaming. That means, however, that the brand of Big Ten baseball is unable to grow into its full potential.

Weak non-conference performances

The Big Ten cannot grow on the diamond when the majority of their teams are unable to perform on the national scale.

Before the addition of Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA, the Big Ten has struggled in the postseason.

The Big Ten has not had a team in the College World Series since 2019 when Michigan fell to Vanderbilt in the National Championship Series.

In terms of this season, only three Big Ten teams are in the Top 50 in RPI rankings, with all of them being members in their inaugural seasons in the conference.

Lack of revenue

To put it simply, baseball is not a revenue sport in the Big Ten.

Only three teams in the Big Ten rank inside the Top 50 in revenue earnings this year.

Only seven Big Ten programs have earned over a million dollars in revenue for baseball in 2025, with its highest earner being USC.

The Trojans clock in at around $4.2 million and rank 22nd in the country in baseball revenue.

Home game struggles regarding weather

The location of many teams put the Big Ten at a disadvantage in the early part of the regular season.

The Big Ten is traditionally a midwestern conference, with nine of its 17 schools being situated in the defined region.

Besides USC and UCLA, many teams have to wait until at least mid-March or even early April to return to their home ballparks.

With the combination of cold weather, unpredictable precipitation and tough wind gusts, the majority of the Big Ten is not able to bring in many fans or even play many home games during the non-conference slate.

What the Big Ten could do better

First, Big Ten Network and Fox Sports 1 could showcase more baseball games instead of constantly pushing old football game reruns.

Next, the Big Ten could get its foot in the door by involving themselves in more college showcases against nationally-ranked teams.

Also, by improving marketing across social media, the Big Ten would get more fans in the stands and expose people to the potential of the conference on the diamond.

Lastly, the conference could hold early-season conference series at west coast ballparks in a tournament-style format to prevent many postponements and cancellations.

In short, Big Ten baseball can be saved. There just needs to be a bigger effort from athletic departments, fans and national broadcast networks.

Bryan Portney is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email bep5295@psu.edu.