A loss, at home no less, to the bitter rival.
Calls for the head coach to be fired or resign. Another season without a Big Ten championship.
Questions about the toughness and character of the team.
Are we talking about the 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes? Yes and no.
It was two years ago when the same scenario unfolded for the Buckeyes after Michigan bullied its way to a 45-23 shellacking in Ohio Stadium (fortunately, there was no flag-planting melee) for a second straight win in The Game following a seven-game losing streak to the Buckeyes.
After that shocking defeat, the Buckeyes still made the four-team College Football Playoff as the No. 4 seed to face top-ranked Georgia.
There was no Hollywood ending because the Buckeyes, who led 21-7 in the first half and 38-24 in the fourth quarter, lost 42-41 after missing a 50-yard field goal with three seconds left.
Georgia then waxed TCU 65-7 in the title game, an outcome that likely would have been similar if it were the Buckeyes instead of the Bulldogs.
While Ohio State has moved past the unsavory ending of the Georgia game, it is germane to the current situation and provides the pathway to responding to the 13-10 loss to the Wolverines on Nov. 30 in one of the most embarrassing games in program history for a team that was favored by 20 points.
Nearly all the starters from 2022 are gone, but the one constant is the man in charge—Ryan Day.
He must once again rally his players as the Buckeyes (10-2) appear set under the new playoff system to host a first-round game on Dec. 20 or 21, possibly against Tennessee.
It doesn’t really matter who they play, well, besides Michigan. But in terms of the 11 other playoff teams, they can compete with any of them. Just ask the most oddsmakers who have them with the second- or third-best odds to win the national championship.
Now, if only Day can coach like he wants to win a game rather than not lose it, as was his bullheaded approach vs. Michigan.
He and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly were adamant about running between the tackles despite a few weeks earlier losing a pair of potential All-American candidates in center Seth McLaughlin and left tackle Josh Simmons to season-ending leg injuries.
The offensive line was in shambles, yet Day and Kelly decided to attack the one strength of Michigan—the defensive line. It was a disastrous move. Ohio State gained 77 yards on 26 carries for a 3.0 average. Quinshon Judkins had 17 of those yards on one carry.
It wasn’t only the running game that was affected. Will Howard was pressured and threw two interceptions, and incredibly, star freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith was targeted just two times in the second half with one catch for three yards.
It’s no wonder there was reportedly a meeting between the players and the coaches in the aftermath of the loss where the team heavily criticized the staff’s strategies.
Day foremost must regain the players’ trust, or it will be a quick exit from the playoffs. If he can regroup and bring Ohio State its first national title since 2014, the sting of the Michigan debacle will be lessened but not forgotten.
Whatever happens in the coming weeks, Day seems safe. Athletic director Ross Bjork has already stated his support, and based on most national recruiting rankings, which have Ohio State ranked from third to fifth after the early signing day on Wednesday, there has been no immediate damage to the reputation of Day or the program.
In fact, one of the signees was five-star quarterback Tavien St. Clair from Bellefontaine, Ohio, the first in-state scholarship QB to commit to the Buckeyes since Joe Burrow in 2015.
Also, two days following the loss to Michigan, the 247Sports No. 2 ranked quarterback in the class of 2027, Brady Edmunds from Huntington Beach, Calif., chose Ohio State over the likes of Michigan, Oregon and Penn State.
Maybe by the time he arrives, Day will realize that stubbornly running the ball into a brick wall won’t work.
