I’ll start by saying that I’m a non-native, 37 year old fan that became as such solely on the rather large back of Orlando Pace when I was roughly 8 years old. Being a chubby kid that was forced to play on the OL/DL in peewee football, it was easy to attach to the greatest college offensive lineman ever, and thus, my Buckeye fandom began. 

Being that my fandom started at this time, I grew up watching ELITE Ohio State teams squander title hopes away to usually lesser talented squads from TTUN. We all know the adage of 2-9-1, which ultimately cost Cooper his job, and rightfully so. We snag some guy from Youngstown State, and the rivalry flips on its head for the next 20 years in our favor. 

Now, we are headed by Ryan Day, and there’s no question that his skill set as a head coach is elite tier. However, we are sitting 1-2 against TTUN, and it looks like this rivalry could be going into the new version of the ten year war. Many are calling for his head with another loss in 2023, but this is where my question in the title begins: In 2024, where should our expectations be?

I grew up in a time where beating TTUN was the number one priority for the team, and everything else was second fiddle to that. But if 2023 is any foreshadowing of what’s to come, that’s not going to be the case going forward. We saw that 11-1, losing to TTUN, and no conference title got us into the Big Dance. At that point, The Game’s result didn’t matter. We had life, and as soon as the ball was kicked against Georgia, I didn’t give The Game a single thought; all that mattered was winning this semifinal game for a chance at another title. If we won it all, it would’ve been the first time in Buckeye history where we won a national title without beating TTUN. But coincidentally, it was the only point in history where that was even a possibility.

In 2024 and going forward, a season similar to this past one will all but guarantee us a playoff spot. What was once historically impossible will now almost be probable. We are treading into college basketball territory, where regular season games don't matter quite as much because of the inclusion of the post season isn’t quite as scarce as it once was. Remember, Coach K had a DOMINANT record against arch rival UNC: 50-50. 

The game (college football) has changed, so, The Game (the rivalry) has changed as well. Us old heads may struggle to adapt to it, but the expectations, in my opinion, are going to change.