M-Borg vs. THE Flavortown U Thread, Orig. by Buckeye Paul, absconded w/by talent.

[lineygoblue]

That wrestler looks like Pampero Firpo.

Yes, that was a real name of a wrestler back in the day.

[Mike]

Wiz:

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[THE_WIZARD_]

Attaboy

[iam416]

Ohio State is now firmly 3rd tier. Oh well. Maybe 4th.

[Mike]

In the year since losing to the undefeated Michigan team in Ann Arbor, Ohio State vowed to do everything in their power to return the rivalry back in their favor. This offseason they...

Returned five prominent starters from last years team in TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka, JTT, Jack Sawyer, and Denzel Burke

Acquired Will Howard, one of the most productive QBs in the country away from K State

Got Caleb Downs, an All-american level safety from Alabama

Got a 1500 yard SEC rusher in Quinshon Judkins to pair with their other All-american level RB

Got a P5 head coach who nearly won a national championship to resign from his role and take the OC job

Signed the #1 overall recruit in the country who is currently in the midst of a historically great true freshman season

Spent $20 mil, more than any other team in the country, to upgrade their roster and sure up their NIL

They were favored by 19.5 points at home

No Jim Harbaugh. No Jesse Minter. No Connor Stallions. No JJ McCarthy. No Blake Corum. No Mike Sainristil. No Colston Loveland. No Will Johnson.

Michigan threw for 62 yards and turned the ball over twice

They didn't have a single receiver catch more than one pass

AND OHIO STATE STILL couldn't win. All time embarrassing program loss. That's the worst Michigan team in over a decade and this is arguably the most talented Buckeye team in nearly a decade. It will have been over 2,000 days since Ohio State last beat Michigan when they face off in 2025...

[THE_WIZARD_]

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[Dr. Strangelove]

"this is arguably the most talented Buckeye team in nearly a decade"

"Arguably" is doing a lot of work here. I myself wouldn't come close to making that argument.

[Jeff Buchanan]

CFB fans often discount the impact of a program's culture and ability to develop players putting the importance of talent at the top of the list of keys to winning. I'm not going to discount talent or to fail to recognize it's impact on the game.

In rivalry games like this a program's culture, which is a reflection of the coaching staff's emphasis on it, plays a big part in wins like the one M just got over OSU. A focus on team building by coaches and senior player leadership that forms bonds as a team and instills a will to win is hugely important and undervalued. It appears to me that Ryan Day just isn't a facilitator of these sorts of very important things.

Day faces a monumentally steep climb to get his team focused on winning each round of games in the CFP and win them. I think it is now 4 with the bucknutz falling to the at large pool with the loss to M. My take is that if OSU gets bounced on the way to a season saving Natty that validates their HC, Ryan Day will get fired.

[Mike]

"this is arguably the most talented Buckeye team in nearly a decade"

"Arguably" is doing a lot of work here. I myself wouldn't come close to making that argument.

Going off of the 247 talent composite, the 2024 OSU team is their high water mark in overall score over the past decade. Of course, QB play isn't what it had been. Probably shouldn't have ran off Honda McCord.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Yeah maybe if going solely by recruiting rankings but I don't see how anyone watches us and thinks this is the best OSU team since 2014. I mean I don't think I even need to consider pre-covid teams, the 2021-22 teams were both better. Certainly Stroud & Marvin Harrison were a bigger threat than Howard-Smith. The RBs as a unit were better too.

Everyone praising McCord after Saturday should go back and watch his 5 INT day getting blown out by Pitt.

[Mike]

It didn't say "best" OSU team, just "most talented". Either way, they went all-in on roster construction for this season and it has not worked out all that great.