THE SITUATIONAL: A Reason to See You Again

I muttered these words aloud to no one in particular 23 Septembers ago while standing in front of the cheapest seat I find from resellers outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville. The national championship would be a slaughter. It didn't matter who got there.

Two weeks earlier, Ohio State had beaten Texas Tech in what is still the most-recent Pigskin Classic. Maurice Clarett had quite the collegiate debut in Columbus that afternoon. I was at that game too, but didn't leave the Horseshoe shouting God help whoever has to play this team for the title. No one said that about the Buckeyes back then.

Their next game was against Kent State. I had made offseason plans to see Florida host the defending BCS champions that Saturday - this chronically shirtless fella better known as C-Deck Jesus and our buddy Top Guy decided we needed to see the best college football team in the country at its peak.

DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPION MIAMI WAS AN 11.5-POINT FAVORITE AGAINST OHIO STATE IN 2002. IN 2025, ALL OF THOSE DESCRIPTORS HAVE SWAPPED SIDELINES.

Which in 2002 was the Miami Hurricanes. They had not lost a game in two full years which in college football parlance might as well be a decade. John Cooper was Ohio State's coach and in no danger whatsoever of being terminated the last time The U had taken An L. It had been that long.

Coop's Buckeyes were actually ranked higher than the Canes in October 2000 when their winning streak began. But two years later, Jim Tressel was in his second year, after his first team went 7-5. A five-loss season which felt like a colossal triumph because of how it ended in Ann Arbor. Buckeye fans understand. So do Michigan fans.

Beating them on their own field coming out of the Cooper Era was pure euphoria. God help whoever has to play this team for the title was not in the Ohio State fan's vocabulary entering 2002.

Miami @ Florida, 2002. Midwestern guys being dudes.

Miami was so beastly it felt like it was playing a different sport than Ohio State. The champs were pulverizing every team they played into tiny little airborne flecks and then dancing condescendingly in vintage Canes fashion, like they were showering themselves with human confetti. The U did this for dozens, plural, of games in a row.

Meanwhile, my team's performance was best suited for the defunct Raycom Sports broadcasting feed at noon, a bygone era when my sneakers still had Velcro straps on them. Nevertheless, C-Deck Jesus, Top Guy and I were in Gainesville for ESPN College Gameday. We figured it would be a more competitive game than Ohio State's paycheck opponent.

We were correct, barely. The Buckeyes beat the unranked Golden Flashes 51-17 at home while the Canes only beat the no.6 Gators 41-16 in their own house. Later on that season, Ohio State would defeat Penn State on the strength of a pick-six by Chris Gamble which many fans will claim is still the loudest they've ever heard the Horseshoe.

I was at that game too. It was deafening. But Florida-Miami sounded like that for the entire 1st half. That humid echo from early September was still ringing in my head weeks later as Gamble ran it all the way back the chilly weekend before Halloween. Miami had obliterated Florida in that hostile setting and they made it look easy. As the Apostle John famously shouted every time he saw his savior walking out of Starbucks: Jesus Christ.

I grew up in Ohio Stadium. It gets what I would call Michigan Loud every other year, while most games require significant moments for the building to elevate beyond garden variety football cheering - like with the epic Gamble pick. It's a culture thing; Buckeye crowds are not Southern in the least. My sample size in both regions is relevant and conclusive.

After returning to the Midwest from that Gainesville trip, I wrote at Bucknuts:

...even when there was a half-hearted cheer – like when the game was already out of reach or if the Florida defense managed to hold Miami to under 15 yards on a running play – the stadium was very loud.

The first quarter of this game was so loud you could not hear your own voice...as it became evident that Miami could wipe the floor with any college team that it faced – including the beloved home team – it grew much more quiet.

God help whoever has to play this team for the title. As far as I could tell, Miami's playbook had a six-plays in it. Their strategy seemed to be Our Guys Are Better So The Plays Don't Matter. Six might have been three more than they needed to beat anyone. And they beat everyone.

The 2001 BCS champions had produced five 1st round picks - Bryant McKinnie, Jeremy Shockey, Phillip Buchanon, Ed Reed and Mike Rumph. Clinton Portis had rushed for 1,200 yards and went in the 4th round. Over a dozen fresh national champions were on NFL rosters by the time the Canes made their trip to Gainesville.

So the roster had some turnover, but Miami followed that BCS title season up with consensus All Americans Brett Romberg (Rimington winner, Outland finalist) and RB Willis McGahee, WR Andre Johnson (Biletnikoff finalist), QB Ken Dorsey (Davey O'Brien and Walter Camp finalist), linemen Sherko Haji-Rasouli, William Joseph and Matt Walters - all Outland candidates, cue Apostle Paul shouting - and Todd Sievers (Groza finalist).

Oh, also legends TE Kellen Winslow Jr. and LBs Jonathan Vilma and DJ Williams, all of whom could have been drafted after 2001. Miami's roster was unfair. Ohio State's 1998 team was still fresh in my memories, but I had never seen a college football team as good as Miami in my life. Granted, I was still in my 20s.

I attended a bunch of Iowa Hawkeyes games in 1985 when they were ranked no.1 for a large chunk of the season, which as a kid felt like watching the gods play Euchre on Mount Olympus. Similarly, I revered Michigan and always thought of those Bo teams as the Evil Empire. They met and played a 1 vs. 2 game that season.

RELATED Drive-Thru: Ohio State (8) vs. Iowa (1) 1985

But this version of Miami would make human flesh confetti out of the starters from those 1985 teams. I was convinced they would do that against All-Star teams from the entire Hayden Fry and Schembechler eras. God help whoever has to play this team for the title.

The Saturday after the Gainesville trip and five Saturdays before the Gamble pick-six, I was back in Columbus watching the no.6 Buckeyes take down no.10 Washington State, another College Gameday spectacle. Perhaps we'll reach a perilous mid-nineties Cooper peak again soon, but with a more favorable ending? We could hope.

C-Deck Jesus and I were tapping a keg and smoking cigars with Bob Huggins outside of Paul Brown Stadium the following week, before the Buckeyes absolutely escaped the Cincinnati Bearcats - that afternoon is its own column - but after witnessing that display I figured the Bucks' ceiling might be rematching WSU in Pasadena.

Which would have been perfectly fine for this midwestern kid, who grew up dreaming of my guys playing in the Rose Bowl. Some other unfortunate team would be forced to end a magical campaign in Tempe, getting wood-chippered by the team I witnessed in Gainesville in the loudest stadium I had ever experienced.

That unfortunate program turned out to be mine. The one from my hometown. The one I rooted for. The one that in 2002 had escaped unranked Cincinnati, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Purdue and Illinois - five largely dogshit teams. The one that looked ordinary for huge stretches of a 13-game season. The one that was an +11.5 underdog to the defending BCS champions.

Loosely translated: Vegas oddsmakers believed the Buckeyes would give the Hurricanes one of their four most competitive outings of the past three seasons. As double-digit underdogs! Flattering? It kind of felt like it.

Miami entered the title match on a 34-game heater. Ohio State was riding a 34-year national title drought, going back to the super sophs of 1968 whom I wasn't around to witness. Neither of the streaks would reach 35. They both reset in Tempe.

I quite literally fainted as Cie Grant threw Dorsey to the turf to end the second overtime and 2002 college football season. Ever since that moment, the Buckeyes have been a national title mainstay. The greatest team I had ever seen in person had been vanquished and that program has still not recovered from that night.

It has barely been relevant for 23 years. Not a single conference title. Miami has played in one ACC championship game, and lost 38-3. Virgina has played in more. Boston College has played in more. Duke won it this year, by the way. Duke. Apostle John, do your thing.

Ohio State and Miami are paired for the Cotton Bowl, marking their first postseason matchup since 2002. Once again, the defending national champions are involved and opened as 11.5-point favorites. They sent a bunch of guys to the Draft but then reloaded ferociously.

Those of us over 30 have seen this porno before, in reverse. Twenty-three years ago.

The double-digit underdog across the field which advanced to this part of the postseason has looked ordinary for significant stretches of 2025, but it's got a strong culture, ferocious lines and the ability to beat any team in America.

Miami has the opportunity to unbreak itself by beating the program which broke it before all but two current players were born. How can you not be romantic about college football?

God help whoever has to play this team for the title. Let's get Situational.

OPENER | BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD

Dec 31, 2022; Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka runs past Georgia defensive back Kelee Ringo for a touchdown during the second half of the Peach Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Ohio State lost 42-41. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch

When was the last time you rewatched any part of an Ohio State 4th quarter for pleasure?

The answer is probably the Lone Star Heist and 3rd & Jeremiah from last year's College Football Playoff. If pressed, I might be able to describe one 4th quarter play from the Rose Bowl. TreVeyon Henderson scored against Tennessee in garbage time.

The Cotton Bowl and title game produced immortal 4th quarter moments, which tends to be a common element to the Forever Plays we go back to when we need a little dopamine.

Ohio State doesn't play many four quarter games, and the downside of putting opponents away early with regularity is that this program's 4th quarter muscles are not well-developed. Most recently, the Buckeyes' opponent had them - and it showed.

Ryan Day has coached 93 games at Ohio State, and over 60% of them were in-hand entering the 4th quarter. That leaves ~27 games which were in doubt:

Will you look at all of that crippling anxiety! Highlighted = postseason game. Day's teams have just three blown sizeable 3rd quarter leads, two of which still became wins.

Putting some space between themselves and their opponent - and not being forced to rely on just one late play to survive - should be the objective. Allowing the program's recruiting machine, offseason training, scouting, game preparation and relentless execution to come down to a Noah Ruggles or Jayden Fielding kick will never be ideal. Just win, as Day says.

Only the Alabama CFP title game where contact precautions forced the Buckeyes to play with only half of a defensive line and the 2021 Michigan game entered the 4th quarter with Ohio State needing several scores to reverse the outcome. His teams have been handled exactly twice.

Day's tenure thus far: Two "blowout" losses, nine heartbreakers, 18 escapes and 64 comfortable wins out of 93 games. When the Buckeyes find themselves in a tight one into the 4th quarter, they've been barely better than .500 in the postseason - which is when the opponent quality elevates.

If we were allowed to write these scripts, we would take 34-0 in the 1st quarter for every postseason game and not really care about ever reliving the clock-killing 4th quarter that comes with it. The only sacrifice would be immortal moments like 85 Yards Through the Heart of the South, which hit differently when the game is on the line.

Case in point: Remember Jack Sawyer's first scoop and score last season? It's okay, no one does.

INTERMISSION

The Solo

Last year in an attempt to exorcise the demons of Michigan claiming a national title* songs exclusively from 1997 were sacrificed in this space. This strategy worked marvelously, so this year's theme will be Songs From Any Year Except 1997 or 2023.

Back in the mid-80s when Iowa and Michigan were paying rent atop the AP poll, a bunch of famous UK musicians formed a supergroup to raise money to fight against a famine happening in Ethiopia. Historians argue these two events were completely unrelated, but 11-year old me believed the world shared one heartbeat and arguing with him was futile.

Do They Know It's Christmas? has been a global holiday staple for 40 years. It contains a synthesizer solo. Let's answer our two questions.

Is the musician in the video actually playing the synthesizer?

This one-fingered jam was performed by James "Midge" Ure, who just goes by Midge, which is what Jim sounds like when you say backwards - with or without his Scottish accent. What's your name backwards? Could that be your new nickname?! New year, new you.

Midge cowrote the song with Bob Geldoff and then went on to produce it. He's barely in the video and his solo takes place during the Famous People Arriving scene. VERDICT: Inconclusive.

does this synthesizer solo slap?

Midge was responsible for most of the music and lyrics, about half of the composition and the backing track that anchors the song - his fingerprints are all over it. He has dismissed critiques throughout the years around the quality of the song by maintaining the only objective of Do They Know It's Christmas? was fundraising.

He created a solo that can be played flawlessly while holding a drink in your hand, even if you can't read music. Forty years later, the song has raised over $200M to fight hunger. This is a one-of-one in solo history: One-handed philanthropy. VERDICT: slaps.

The Bourbon

There is a bourbon for every situation. Sometimes the spirits and the events overlap, which means that where bourbon is concerned there can be more than one worthy choice.

Taster's Club from Bull Run.

Miami head coach and alumnus Mario Cristobal won national titles as a player in 1989 and 1991. His final game was a loss to Alabama, which flipped the belt to the Crimson Tide.

He was on Butch Davis' staff during the resurgence which culminated with that 34-game winning streak, ended in Tempe by the Buckeyes. Cristobal was on Nick Saban's sideline as Ezekiel Elliott raced 85 yards down the field to score the decisive points of the 2014 CFP semifinal. He collected another ring the following season with Alabama in an OSU-less CFP.

And he got his first major head coaching position at Oregon, where he beat Day in Columbus back in 2021. He's gotten several tastes of both winning and losing national titles as well as beating and losing to Ohio State

Which makes Mario a one-man Taster's Club. Our Cotton Bowl Situational Bourbon comes from Oregon, private labeled and produced for Mash & Grape by Bull Run Distilling Company.

Taster's Club is warm and sweet, running 65/25/10 corn/rye/malted barley and aged at least four years. Pungent and imaginary clove and vanilla cigarettes on the nose, hot honey on the palate and an oaky finish. Char unknown but it really comes through at the end.

Makes a great Old Fashioned. Here's to the Taster's Club tasting another L next week.

CLOSER | MAKE THE BREAD, BUY THE BUTTER

Nov 16, 2024; Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate catches a touchdown pass as Northwestern defensive back Josh Fussell defends during the 1st half at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

Day went out of his way to give Carnell Tate the stage when the team played in Wrigley Field last November. He's a south sider, so yeah close enough - even people in Northwest Indiana say they're from Chicago.

This got quite a bit of run when it happened. They wanted to make sure the Chicago kid got the chance to shine back home which feels like a good story. Tate had more catches for more yards the previous week against Purdue, and as many catches for more yards the following week against IU.

Having fun is kicking ass, as the head coach is fond of saying. KICKING FOOTBALLS HAS BEEN FAR LESS FUN.

Tate wasn't even an all-honorable mention B1G WR, which seems impossible in 2025 but true in 2024. Perhaps this was about Day using the latitude which comes with playing a team that went 2-7 in conference play to do a favor for a beloved program guy. That's all it was.

But we love stories like this. Tate can claim Chicago and South Florida, having played at IMG near Tampa. Jeremiah Smith and Kenyatta Jackson (Miami Gardens) and Brandon Inniss (Hollywood) are all starters, facing a program they grew up with and guys they know. They'll make sure the Florida kids get the chance to shine okay, sure. Great idea.

Playing with emotion and not allowing emotion to play with the team is one of those bumper stickers the program has produced recently, and finding that extra edge or advantage is fine - but allowing the best playmakers on the team to make plays is not advanced strategy. Going full Florida isn't a plan to win any more than spamming the red zone with the entire tight end room is.

Tate and Smith should be used situationally and appropriately as part of a balanced attack that keeps Miami's best unit confused and stretched until the ball drops - or preferably sooner, with an expendable 4th quarter. They're marvelous decoys when not sitting on the bench in favor of TEs 3 and 4.

And this game is in Texas. The title game is in Miami. This isn't home. And Miami isn't Northwestern.

The big prize is next month, and not guaranteed just because the defending champ wants run it back. Coaching for nice stories instead of schematic advantages and scoring points is a great way to ensure the stories the program wants to tell forever will never be told at all.

Because nothing feels better than winning. Ohio State's kicker is from Texas. Having fun is kicking ass, as the head coach is fond of saying. It's not kicking balls and it hasn't been for many years. A garbage time gesture field goal is fine. Let's avoid having to deal with any kick more important than that.

Riley Pettijohn, Payton Pierce and Devin Sanchez are all from Texas. The three of them combined have about as many snaps this season as Columbus native Sonny Styles, who cannot come off the field during winning time to make a feel-good story.

SITUATIONAL ARCHIVE The Situational Whiskey Cellar

If the Buckeyes play their best players and balance their attack, Miami and both opponents do not anything that can compensate. This tournament should not be any more competitive than last year's was, and that's the story they should be focused on telling when it all wraps up.

Thanks for getting Situational today. Go Bucks. Beat Miami. Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!