11W is clearly split on the topic of Dino and MSU football's place in the CFP as it relates to what's best for THE Ohio State Football program.
I have a tremendous amount of respect for Dino and think he is clearly among the upper crust of CFB coaches. Personally, I like the physical brand of football that he preaches. He'd rather line up and beat you than trick you and I love that. They even have Fullbacks on their roster and there's still a place for them in football. His teams always tackle well, are extremely disciplined and rarely make egregious mental mistakes. They typically play solid ST, as well. His players seem to stay out of trouble, to a large extent. His teams are 65-15 since 2010, including this season. They have 3 B1G Championships (incl. 1 tie) and are 4-1 in Bowl Games during that span. He achieves all of that success with a roster dominated by 3* recruits (predominantly from OH), with a few 4's mixed in. The list of 4's has grown in the last 2-3 years, as one might expect. In other words, he is an excellent coach. I am grateful for his contributions to the '02 NC, nearly 14 years ago.
However, here's the thing: Mark Dantonio has chosen to make it his primary professional pursuit to beat Ohio State at football. It is Priority #1 for Dino, the coaches that he hires and the kids whom he recruits, to defeat Ohio State. He has all but declared himself an enemy of OSU football and he makes no bones about it. He is driven by this and as he has steadily taken his program from a quasi-B1G power to a consistent National power he gains greater access to higher-level recruits. Those 3* kids are turning into 4's and 5's way more than they ever have in recent memory at MSU. MSU is no longer just a pain in the ass. They are the team to beat because their record says so.
Excellent Coach hell bent on beating OSU + highly talented kids = bad news
So, like Dino if you want and root for MSU during the playoff if you want. But Mark Dantonio does not like you back and hates the team that you root for. Any MSU playoff victory will not in any way benefit the Bucks, though it very well may hurt on the recruiting trail now, and in the years to come.
MOD EDIT - Moved to College Sports forum.
