First of all, Happy New Year to all.
So, after a near 24-hour junk food induced stupor, my mind started churning. This is a subject that I find myself spending entirely too much time on. I love Ohio State so much that slights or perceived slights really get to me the more I think about them. That's obviously a "me" problem and not applicable to any of you. When I start to think and overthink a subject, my inclination is to write about it. I find the process to be cathartic, so forgive me as I indulge in that pastime.
Narratives are a funny thing. They typically are created by talking heads in order to elicit a response. For some reason, it seems the narrative in the dark corners of social media and even more moldy sinkholes of YouTube is that Ohio State somehow is a fraudulent program that never wins big games. The talking head will say something negative towards Ohio State and that fuels another round of inflammatory discussion about our beloved Buckeyes.
If the criticism was true, I suppose it would simply be incumbent upon me to accept the reality of the situation. However, when I know the actual facts of a situation and see/hear the toxicity leveled at OSU, well, I get annoyed. Facts can be backed up by actual results and an objectively verifiable record. But, as we all know, talking heads, keyboard warriors and content creators are often light on facts.
In order to illustrate this, I've compiled some screenshots to break down Ohio State's history in "big games" since 1998, the year the BCS started. As you'll see, Ohio State appeared in the most BCS games among all schools and also tied for the most wins among all schools, in the BCS era.
(Source: Wikipedia)
Next, I wanted to turn my attention to the more contemporary definition of the "big game"; the New Year's Six Bowls. This doesn't include this seasons results, so, for example, Ohio State is still tied with Alabama for NY6 appearances and their record is now 7-4.
(Source: Wikipedia)
As you can see, Ohio State leads all schools in both BCS appearances and are tied for appearances in NY6 bowls. Also, they are tied for wins in BCS games and second in NY6 wins. Clearly, Ohio State has won their share of "big games"; more than most.
The idea of a referendum on a college football program being defined by one game is a bit silly. Especially when there is a pedigree that should nullify any such talk. That said, Ryan Day, Ohio State et. al. seemed to face a referendum of sorts 24 hours ago in Atlanta, Georgia. The judgement of "toughness", "belonging" and even "worthiness".
Well, anyone that was born with a set of eyes and ears and watched the Ohio State Buckeyes play the Georgia Bulldogs 24 hours ago can only objectively come away with the opinion that Ohio State does indeed possess the toughness, belonging and worthiness to be on that rarified stage.
Ohio State punched and swung as hard as they could for 4 hours. In the end, it just simply wasn't enough, yesterday. When that happens, you simply tip your cap to your opponent and hold your head high knowing you emptied both barrels and left it all out there on the field, so to speak.
I'm proud of everyone that was wearing scarlet and gray last night; they represented their school and their state about as well as anyone could ever wish them to. With that, I – for one – can go quietly into the long winter of Columbus Ohio with a warm glow in my chest.
Go Bucks in '23.
