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LGHL You’re Nuts: Who will win Big Ten men’s basketball player of the year?
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You’re Nuts: Who will win Big Ten men’s basketball player of the year?
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Who do you think will be honored as the best player in the new 18-team Big Ten at season’s end?
Big Ten media day has come and gone, as well as Ohio State’s own media day. The Buckeyes will play real, live basketball in one week against Cincinnati in an exhibition game, and the season opener will come 17 days later in Sin City against the Texas Longhorns. For all intents and purposes, we are back.
With college basketball returning in a matter of weeks, we’ve shifted into season preview season. Last week, we debated who would win Big Ten Freshman of the Year. This week, we’re picking conference player of the year in the new-look, 18-team Big Ten.
Justin picked electric Rutgers freshman Ace Bailey to win Big Ten freshman of the week, while Connor went with Purdue’s next behemoth center, Daniel Jacobsen. The readers agreed with... neither of us? The most popular choice was “someone else” at 57%, followed by Justin/Ace Bailey at 39% and Jacobsen at 4%.
Connor- 81
We’ll give our picks for B1G POY shortly, but as a refresher, here are the players who were picked in the pre-season to be all-conference honorees. Purdue guard Braden Smith was selected as pre-season Big Ten POY.
2024-25 Preseason All-Big Ten Team
Oumar Ballo, R-Sr.+, C, Indiana
Payton Sandfort, Sr., F, Iowa
Dawson Garcia, Sr., F, Minnesota
Brooks Barnhizer, Sr., G, Northwestern
Bruce Thornton, Jr., G, Ohio State
Jackson Shelstad, So., G, Oregon
Ace Baldwin Jr., Sr+, G, Penn State
BRADEN SMITH, Jr., G, Purdue
Dylan Harper, Fr., G, Rutgers
Great Osobor, Sr., F, Washington
I think the Iowa Hawkeyes are going to surprise some people this season, and a big reason will be Sandfort picking up Zach Edey’s crown as the best player in the conference.
He’s gotten better each season, going from five points per game as a freshman to 10.3 as a sophomore, and then 16.4 last year, when he led Iowa in scoring and was named third-team All-Big Ten. He finished eighth in the conference in scoring and also led the Big Ten with 2.8 three-pointers made per game.
Another reason Sandfort is going to be set up for success? He plays for a team and a coach that’s going to get him plenty of good shots. Fran McCaffery is the best offensive coach in the Big Ten, and when he finds himself a star player (think Luka Garza, both Murray brothers, etc.), he makes sure to put that guy front and center and find ways to get them plenty of shots.
As a team, Iowa led the Big Ten in points per game each year from 2018-2023. This past season, they finished second behind Illinois. So, while their brutal defensive has held the program back for a long time (Iowa has not made it to a single Sweet Sixteen since McCaffery took the job in 2010), the Hawkeyes have been elite offensively for the better part of a decade.
Because of the situation he’s in — and because he’s an all-around great player — I think Sandfort will win Big Ten Player of the Year. He’s increased his scoring every year, and if he keeps on that same pace, we could see him push it to 21 or 22 points per game this year. Not to mention, he’s 6-foot-8 and pulled down 6.6 rebounds per game last season, which was top-15 in the Big Ten.
Sandfort put his name into the NBA Draft in the spring, but withdrew to play his senior season at Iowa with his younger brother, Pryce. I think Sandfort will have a huge year and get Iowa back into the NCAA Tournament.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25641002/usa_today_23710272.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
I am picking Bruce Thornton to win the Big Ten Player of the Year for three reasons.
The first one is I think the Buckeyes are going to make a huge jump as a team, and Thornton will get a majority of that credit as the best player on the team and the only returner from the past couple of years. The Buckeyes have missed the tournament for the last two years, and if they make it back this year, which I think they will do fairly easily, whoever leads the team will get a ton of credit. I think that will be Thornton.
The second reason is production. Thornton has always been able to produce for the Buckeyes, and with Meechie Johnson now being his running mate, teams can’t lock in on Thornton and take him out of the offense. I think Thornton will score at his highest and most efficient level and average 16-19 points a game and 5-6 assists per game. He is also a good rebounder and solid shooter, so his stat line should be good enough.
The third reason is Zach Edey is gone, and the award is ready to be taken by someone new. It might as well be Thornton.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Who do you think will be honored as the best player in the new 18-team Big Ten at season’s end?
Big Ten media day has come and gone, as well as Ohio State’s own media day. The Buckeyes will play real, live basketball in one week against Cincinnati in an exhibition game, and the season opener will come 17 days later in Sin City against the Texas Longhorns. For all intents and purposes, we are back.
With college basketball returning in a matter of weeks, we’ve shifted into season preview season. Last week, we debated who would win Big Ten Freshman of the Year. This week, we’re picking conference player of the year in the new-look, 18-team Big Ten.
Justin picked electric Rutgers freshman Ace Bailey to win Big Ten freshman of the week, while Connor went with Purdue’s next behemoth center, Daniel Jacobsen. The readers agreed with... neither of us? The most popular choice was “someone else” at 57%, followed by Justin/Ace Bailey at 39% and Jacobsen at 4%.
After 173 weeks:
Connor- 81
Justin- 70
Other- 18
(There have been four ties)
We’ll give our picks for B1G POY shortly, but as a refresher, here are the players who were picked in the pre-season to be all-conference honorees. Purdue guard Braden Smith was selected as pre-season Big Ten POY.
2024-25 Preseason All-Big Ten Team
Oumar Ballo, R-Sr.+, C, Indiana
Payton Sandfort, Sr., F, Iowa
Dawson Garcia, Sr., F, Minnesota
Brooks Barnhizer, Sr., G, Northwestern
Bruce Thornton, Jr., G, Ohio State
Jackson Shelstad, So., G, Oregon
Ace Baldwin Jr., Sr+, G, Penn State
BRADEN SMITH, Jr., G, Purdue
Dylan Harper, Fr., G, Rutgers
Great Osobor, Sr., F, Washington
This week’s question: Who will win Big Ten Player of the Year?
Connor: Payton Sandfort (Iowa)
I think the Iowa Hawkeyes are going to surprise some people this season, and a big reason will be Sandfort picking up Zach Edey’s crown as the best player in the conference.
He’s gotten better each season, going from five points per game as a freshman to 10.3 as a sophomore, and then 16.4 last year, when he led Iowa in scoring and was named third-team All-Big Ten. He finished eighth in the conference in scoring and also led the Big Ten with 2.8 three-pointers made per game.
Another reason Sandfort is going to be set up for success? He plays for a team and a coach that’s going to get him plenty of good shots. Fran McCaffery is the best offensive coach in the Big Ten, and when he finds himself a star player (think Luka Garza, both Murray brothers, etc.), he makes sure to put that guy front and center and find ways to get them plenty of shots.
As a team, Iowa led the Big Ten in points per game each year from 2018-2023. This past season, they finished second behind Illinois. So, while their brutal defensive has held the program back for a long time (Iowa has not made it to a single Sweet Sixteen since McCaffery took the job in 2010), the Hawkeyes have been elite offensively for the better part of a decade.
Because of the situation he’s in — and because he’s an all-around great player — I think Sandfort will win Big Ten Player of the Year. He’s increased his scoring every year, and if he keeps on that same pace, we could see him push it to 21 or 22 points per game this year. Not to mention, he’s 6-foot-8 and pulled down 6.6 rebounds per game last season, which was top-15 in the Big Ten.
Sandfort put his name into the NBA Draft in the spring, but withdrew to play his senior season at Iowa with his younger brother, Pryce. I think Sandfort will have a huge year and get Iowa back into the NCAA Tournament.
Justin: Bruce Thornton
I am picking Bruce Thornton to win the Big Ten Player of the Year for three reasons.
The first one is I think the Buckeyes are going to make a huge jump as a team, and Thornton will get a majority of that credit as the best player on the team and the only returner from the past couple of years. The Buckeyes have missed the tournament for the last two years, and if they make it back this year, which I think they will do fairly easily, whoever leads the team will get a ton of credit. I think that will be Thornton.
The second reason is production. Thornton has always been able to produce for the Buckeyes, and with Meechie Johnson now being his running mate, teams can’t lock in on Thornton and take him out of the offense. I think Thornton will score at his highest and most efficient level and average 16-19 points a game and 5-6 assists per game. He is also a good rebounder and solid shooter, so his stat line should be good enough.
The third reason is Zach Edey is gone, and the award is ready to be taken by someone new. It might as well be Thornton.
Continue reading...
LGHL A look at the most crucial members of Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class
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A look at the most crucial members of Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Ohio State has plenty of talent in this class, but who stands out above the rest?
Currently Ohio State still boasts the top ranked recruiting class for the 2025 cycle. A 26-member haul thus far, the Buckeyes are thrilled to have the players they do, and still have a few open spots they are hoping to fill.
Among those guys, who are the most crucial to the Buckeyes’ future success? Debatable for sure, this is just one opinion on who rounds out the most important guys Ohio State is bringing in and how different their class would look without them.
Likely the most obvious choice here, you can’t understate how important it is to have St. Clair in this 2025 recruiting class. The No. 6 player nationally and second best quarterback in the country per the 247Sports Composite, the rankings alone would be enough reason to covet his commitment, but there’s a whole lot more to St. Clair that the Buckeyes wanted.
First and foremost, a quarterback is a need in every class according to Ryan Day. Landing an elite prospect at the position is something this coaching staff has done more times than not, and when you stockpile the amount of talent at this position like Ohio State has, it increases the hit rate that one or more are likely to lead the team to it’s ultimate goals.
Additionally, being an in-state player, Ohio State has been fortunate to see St. Clair’s abilities early on and watching him develop into what he’s become. Without question, St. Clair is expected to be the next in line to take this team to where it wants to go. As a leader of the class in multiple ways including peer recruiting, you have to list him as the most important member of this class. Without him, this haul would feel much different.
The No. 5 player nationally and the top cornerback in the 2025 cycle per the 247Sports Composite, Sanchez gives Ohio State yet again another top player at his position. A national recruit with offers from every major program in the country, being able to pluck the DB out of Texas is a huge feat, and helps cement position coach Tim Walton among the best in college football at his craft.
In a college football landscape that promotes offense more than anything else, having the lock-down defensive backs is a must have for a defense that has any chances of being a successful unit. Sanchez does that and more. Standing at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, the frame is everything coaches are looking for as an eraser on the back end of their defense who can not only defend the pass, but also be a run stopping threat in contain.
The top-ranked player on the defensive side of the ball for Ohio State, Sanchez is on this list for his talent of course, but also for what his family has meant to this recruiting class. A member who has been nothing but solid since his commitment, his parents have gone out of their way to pitch Ohio State time and time again, being true ambassadors of the program their son will soon be part of.
You’re not going to find many players more well-rounded than Devin and all that he’s brought to Ohio State in this 2025 class. For that, he’s an absolute must have and in the top three players the Buckeyes are destined to sign.
Lowe is the third pick knowing how important the offensive line is, and specifically offensive tackle. A position Ohio State has recruited hard and come up short more times than they’d like with the more national targets, you have to list Lowe here for what this class would be without his pledge.
The No. 54 player nationally and the seventh best tackle in the class per the 247Sports Composite, Lowe really is a top national player with that status. Having him in the class right now makes this offensive line haul, and knowing Frye needs a little more depth in this class it’s hard to imagine what you’d feel without landing an in-state kid like Lowe.
Thus far into the season too, seeing the offensive line playing the way they are gives a lot of trust in Frye that may not have been the case this summer simply in recruiting wins and losses.
Continue reading...
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Ohio State has plenty of talent in this class, but who stands out above the rest?
Currently Ohio State still boasts the top ranked recruiting class for the 2025 cycle. A 26-member haul thus far, the Buckeyes are thrilled to have the players they do, and still have a few open spots they are hoping to fill.
Among those guys, who are the most crucial to the Buckeyes’ future success? Debatable for sure, this is just one opinion on who rounds out the most important guys Ohio State is bringing in and how different their class would look without them.
Tavien St. Clair
Likely the most obvious choice here, you can’t understate how important it is to have St. Clair in this 2025 recruiting class. The No. 6 player nationally and second best quarterback in the country per the 247Sports Composite, the rankings alone would be enough reason to covet his commitment, but there’s a whole lot more to St. Clair that the Buckeyes wanted.
First and foremost, a quarterback is a need in every class according to Ryan Day. Landing an elite prospect at the position is something this coaching staff has done more times than not, and when you stockpile the amount of talent at this position like Ohio State has, it increases the hit rate that one or more are likely to lead the team to it’s ultimate goals.
Additionally, being an in-state player, Ohio State has been fortunate to see St. Clair’s abilities early on and watching him develop into what he’s become. Without question, St. Clair is expected to be the next in line to take this team to where it wants to go. As a leader of the class in multiple ways including peer recruiting, you have to list him as the most important member of this class. Without him, this haul would feel much different.
Devin Sanchez
The No. 5 player nationally and the top cornerback in the 2025 cycle per the 247Sports Composite, Sanchez gives Ohio State yet again another top player at his position. A national recruit with offers from every major program in the country, being able to pluck the DB out of Texas is a huge feat, and helps cement position coach Tim Walton among the best in college football at his craft.
In a college football landscape that promotes offense more than anything else, having the lock-down defensive backs is a must have for a defense that has any chances of being a successful unit. Sanchez does that and more. Standing at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, the frame is everything coaches are looking for as an eraser on the back end of their defense who can not only defend the pass, but also be a run stopping threat in contain.
The top-ranked player on the defensive side of the ball for Ohio State, Sanchez is on this list for his talent of course, but also for what his family has meant to this recruiting class. A member who has been nothing but solid since his commitment, his parents have gone out of their way to pitch Ohio State time and time again, being true ambassadors of the program their son will soon be part of.
You’re not going to find many players more well-rounded than Devin and all that he’s brought to Ohio State in this 2025 class. For that, he’s an absolute must have and in the top three players the Buckeyes are destined to sign.
Carter Lowe
Lowe is the third pick knowing how important the offensive line is, and specifically offensive tackle. A position Ohio State has recruited hard and come up short more times than they’d like with the more national targets, you have to list Lowe here for what this class would be without his pledge.
The No. 54 player nationally and the seventh best tackle in the class per the 247Sports Composite, Lowe really is a top national player with that status. Having him in the class right now makes this offensive line haul, and knowing Frye needs a little more depth in this class it’s hard to imagine what you’d feel without landing an in-state kid like Lowe.
Thus far into the season too, seeing the offensive line playing the way they are gives a lot of trust in Frye that may not have been the case this summer simply in recruiting wins and losses.
Continue reading...
LGHL Despite the new playoff format, who wins the Ohio State-Oregon game still absolutely matters
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Despite the new playoff format, who wins the Ohio State-Oregon game still absolutely matters
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Contrarians are trying to convince you that big games don’t matter in the 12-team playoff era, but they are wrong.
Don’t be seduced by the siren song of contrarian college football commentators. Since the announcement first came down that the College Football Playoff would be expanding to 12 teams, the cool-kid response has been to decry the move as the further degradation of everything that makes the sport special. The try-hard and engagement baiters in the CFB media have been trying to convince you that this would mean that games like Alabama vs. Georgia, Texas vs. Oklahoma, and even Ohio State vs. Michigan wouldn’t matter in most years, because they wouldn’t unilaterally derail either team’s chances of making the playoff.
Well, friends, I am here to tell you that those people are wrong, they have always been wrong, and the first six weeks of the season have proven just how wrong they are. Does it change the implications of these games? Sure, but it absolutely does not render the games meaningless, or even truthfully make them matter any less than they would have in the past. Go ahead and try to tell me with a straight face that the Week 5 Bama-UGA game didn’t matter. Are both teams still very much in contention for a CFP berth? Absolutely, but that doesn’t rob the game of the excitement, emotions, and enjoyment that it provided to the millions of fans watching across the country.
For decades, college football has been a sport focused on pageantry, tradition, and chaos, in no small part because the mechanisms used to determine a national championship have been an utter mess. So the unique highs and lows that only this sport can provide have been the de facto currency traded amongst fandoms for generations, rather than the cold trophies, banners, and rings of other sports. While an expansion of the playoff field does inherently expand the emphasis on the national champion to include more teams, the joy, drama, and pandemonium of college football are baked into its DNA at this point, so don’t let anyone lie to you and say that those things matter less now simply because teams can still lose a game or two and win the title.
As the college football conversation has become more laser-focused on the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 3 Oregon Ducks throughout the week, the bulk of the discussion has been on this epic matchup and the storylines that will meet at Autzen Stadium on Saturday night. However, early in the week, I started hearing whispers from the same curmudgeonly corners of the college football world that, yes, it is a big game, but it doesn’t really mean all that much, because they could play two more times this season — in the Big Ten Championship Game and again in the CFP.
Then, in the subsequent days, those whispers have grown into noticeable white noise subtly playing underneath every discussion poking its metaphorical head up every now and again just to remind you that it is there. Now I fear that — fueled by the hot-take artists in the press and on social media — it will crescendo into a deafening chorus by game time tomorrow night. I beg of you, do not let this happen. There are so many reasons why this game matters that it’s honestly laughable that those who consider themselves to be the thinking man’s college football commentators continue to peddle this asinine talking point.
Let’s start with the obvious; the winner of the game remains undefeated, which is objectively better than having a loss. Not only does that mean good things for the general vibes around a program (which based on how negative Buckeye Nation can be following a five-touchdown victory, I never look forward to seeing how we react to a loss), but it also puts you in a better chance to reach the conference championship game.
If we look at this strictly from the Ohio State perspective, leaving Eugene 6-0 means that really all the Buckeyes have to do is beat either Penn State or Michigan, and they are into the Big Ten Championship game. Yes, this assumes that OSU can survive against their other four opponents, and no disrespect to them — especially Nebraska and Indiana — but while a loss is always possible (looking at that Vanderbilt and Alabama game last weekend, which clearly matters tremendously, even if the Tide can still make the CFP), it is so improbably at this point, it doesn’t warrant entertaining in this conversation.
Therefore, if OSU makes the Big Ten Championship Game, that means that they have a shot of winning the conference title, and despite what the gasbags tell you, that still matters to players, coaches, programs, and fans. Don’t let them try to convince you that raising that glass and gold trophy in Lucas Oil Stadium in early December doesn’t matter. Of course it does, irrespective of the impact it has on the CFP. We know that OSU doesn’t need to win the B1G to make the playoff, but winning titles is cool and we should celebrate them as such.
But, if we are going to prove these blowhards wrong using their own arguments, let’s get back to how the B1G Title Game can aid OSU in winning a national title. Being in the conference championship game means that you have the ability to earn a top-four seed in the College Football Playoff. While you can argue about the seeding and paring rules in this new 12-team bracket, and whether or not it’s better to be the No. 5 seed and get a home game or have two weeks off as the No. 4 seed, yada yada yada, in general, the higher ranked you are, the better.
Again, those same people who want you to think that they are the smartest folks in every room they ever step in physically or virtually miss the point that it is inarguably better to get the extra week to rest and not play a game where someone could get hurt than it is to have to play an extra game. So, obviously winning the game matters.
Then there is the factor that remains true from the polls era to the BCS to the four-team playoff process, your résumé matters when it comes to seeding. Either Ohio State or Oregon will come out of this weekend with a top-three victory under their belts, and if it’s the Buckeyes, it will have come on the road. That is incredibly valuable, no matter what happens moving forward. If OSU were to lose to both Penn State and Indiana (even in a hypothetical, I can’t bring myself to give them a loss to TTUN), they would still have a road win over Oregon, and that could be enough to get them into the CFP field as a lower seed.
Or, if they go undefeated alongside Texas and/or Miami, it could be the feather in their cap that gets them on the top line of the bracket. All of these things matter when you are trying to give yourself the best chance to win a national championship. And since Denzel Burke and friends have told us that it is #NattyOrBust, every game has meaning; every game is one step closer to achieving that goal. A loss is undeniably a hit to that plan and a detour on that journey. Can you still make your final destination? Thankfully, yes. But you cannot argue that it isn’t a much easier road with a win on Saturday night than without. Therefore, again, this game carries significant meaning.
Beyond the cold, hard facts of the College Football Playoff, there are many other equally consequential implications for this game, and — in turn — this season. Over the years, I have shared my opinions and criticisms of how Ryan Day has managed the Buckeye program, but I always tried to preface the negative with my belief that he was the right guy for the job, and that Buckeye fans had to know that he would be learning on the fly as a first-time head coach (though I admittedly did not expect it to take this long).
So, I have to give credit where it’s due, the OSU head coach seemingly took every major suggestion that I made in my post-Cotton Bowl Debacle article and put it into practice. It might not all have come to pass exactly as I would have prescribed, but Day did the difficult work of rebuilding his staff, investing in his roster, recalibrating his program’s attitude, and finally moving into the CEO role that he should have embraced years ago.
There are very few things that have happened since the start of the year that don’t look good for Day’s new approach to running his program. But if they don’t lead to results on the field, it might not matter, which is why this game means a tremendous amount from an existential perspective.
Ohio State has three goals going into every football season:
1) Beat Michigan
2) Win the Big Ten
3) Win the National Championship
The Buckeyes can’t accomplish any of those three this weekend, and honestly, they can’t lose the ability to accomplish any of those three this weekend either. But what they can do is piss away 10 months of goodwill built up following yet another disastrous end to a season. It is truly impressive how the fan perception of this team changed so dramatically in the winter months following what was one of the most humiliating games in recent Buckeye memory. The team’s embarrassing 14-3 loss to the Missouri Tigers in the Cotton Bowl resulted in some of the most extreme anger, despondency, and rending of garments that I have ever seen from Buckeye fans.
But fortunately, that appears to have been Ryan Day’s rock bottom moment. He saw the errors of his ways, and he followed the 12-step process that I laid out just hours after the game (ok, it wasn't actually 12 steps and he didn’t exactly follow it, but close enough) and he seemingly has gotten things back on track to take Ohio State to where they need to be.
If his team heads to Eugene and is able to turn in a thoroughly convincing victory, they will inarguably be the best team in college football this season, but if they lose — especially in a disappointing effort — that could undermine everything that Day and the program has accomplished since January. And while, yes, they could still reach all of their goals, getting through a bye week and then the back half of the season following a demoralizing loss in the biggest game on the schedule would not be something that I would advise for anyone, but especially someone in this particularly volatile fanbase.
So, of course this game has meaning; of course who wins matters; of course, you want to win even if winning isn’t necessary to earn a conference or national title, because, when you boil the whole thing down, winning is simply better than losing.
If, following a defeat, you want to take solace in the fact that your team’s national title dreams still have a pulse, you should do that, because the new CFP format affords you that luxury. But that won’t eliminate the sting of disappointment. It won’t remove the pain that overwhelms you following such a public failure. It won’t make the next seven to 14 days any less tumultuous for the losing fanbase, because winning is simply better than losing. Therefore, the game and its result absolutely matter, no matter what the crankiest people around college football try to tell you.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Contrarians are trying to convince you that big games don’t matter in the 12-team playoff era, but they are wrong.
Don’t be seduced by the siren song of contrarian college football commentators. Since the announcement first came down that the College Football Playoff would be expanding to 12 teams, the cool-kid response has been to decry the move as the further degradation of everything that makes the sport special. The try-hard and engagement baiters in the CFB media have been trying to convince you that this would mean that games like Alabama vs. Georgia, Texas vs. Oklahoma, and even Ohio State vs. Michigan wouldn’t matter in most years, because they wouldn’t unilaterally derail either team’s chances of making the playoff.
Well, friends, I am here to tell you that those people are wrong, they have always been wrong, and the first six weeks of the season have proven just how wrong they are. Does it change the implications of these games? Sure, but it absolutely does not render the games meaningless, or even truthfully make them matter any less than they would have in the past. Go ahead and try to tell me with a straight face that the Week 5 Bama-UGA game didn’t matter. Are both teams still very much in contention for a CFP berth? Absolutely, but that doesn’t rob the game of the excitement, emotions, and enjoyment that it provided to the millions of fans watching across the country.
For decades, college football has been a sport focused on pageantry, tradition, and chaos, in no small part because the mechanisms used to determine a national championship have been an utter mess. So the unique highs and lows that only this sport can provide have been the de facto currency traded amongst fandoms for generations, rather than the cold trophies, banners, and rings of other sports. While an expansion of the playoff field does inherently expand the emphasis on the national champion to include more teams, the joy, drama, and pandemonium of college football are baked into its DNA at this point, so don’t let anyone lie to you and say that those things matter less now simply because teams can still lose a game or two and win the title.
As the college football conversation has become more laser-focused on the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 3 Oregon Ducks throughout the week, the bulk of the discussion has been on this epic matchup and the storylines that will meet at Autzen Stadium on Saturday night. However, early in the week, I started hearing whispers from the same curmudgeonly corners of the college football world that, yes, it is a big game, but it doesn’t really mean all that much, because they could play two more times this season — in the Big Ten Championship Game and again in the CFP.
Then, in the subsequent days, those whispers have grown into noticeable white noise subtly playing underneath every discussion poking its metaphorical head up every now and again just to remind you that it is there. Now I fear that — fueled by the hot-take artists in the press and on social media — it will crescendo into a deafening chorus by game time tomorrow night. I beg of you, do not let this happen. There are so many reasons why this game matters that it’s honestly laughable that those who consider themselves to be the thinking man’s college football commentators continue to peddle this asinine talking point.
Let’s start with the obvious; the winner of the game remains undefeated, which is objectively better than having a loss. Not only does that mean good things for the general vibes around a program (which based on how negative Buckeye Nation can be following a five-touchdown victory, I never look forward to seeing how we react to a loss), but it also puts you in a better chance to reach the conference championship game.
If we look at this strictly from the Ohio State perspective, leaving Eugene 6-0 means that really all the Buckeyes have to do is beat either Penn State or Michigan, and they are into the Big Ten Championship game. Yes, this assumes that OSU can survive against their other four opponents, and no disrespect to them — especially Nebraska and Indiana — but while a loss is always possible (looking at that Vanderbilt and Alabama game last weekend, which clearly matters tremendously, even if the Tide can still make the CFP), it is so improbably at this point, it doesn’t warrant entertaining in this conversation.
Therefore, if OSU makes the Big Ten Championship Game, that means that they have a shot of winning the conference title, and despite what the gasbags tell you, that still matters to players, coaches, programs, and fans. Don’t let them try to convince you that raising that glass and gold trophy in Lucas Oil Stadium in early December doesn’t matter. Of course it does, irrespective of the impact it has on the CFP. We know that OSU doesn’t need to win the B1G to make the playoff, but winning titles is cool and we should celebrate them as such.
But, if we are going to prove these blowhards wrong using their own arguments, let’s get back to how the B1G Title Game can aid OSU in winning a national title. Being in the conference championship game means that you have the ability to earn a top-four seed in the College Football Playoff. While you can argue about the seeding and paring rules in this new 12-team bracket, and whether or not it’s better to be the No. 5 seed and get a home game or have two weeks off as the No. 4 seed, yada yada yada, in general, the higher ranked you are, the better.
Again, those same people who want you to think that they are the smartest folks in every room they ever step in physically or virtually miss the point that it is inarguably better to get the extra week to rest and not play a game where someone could get hurt than it is to have to play an extra game. So, obviously winning the game matters.
Then there is the factor that remains true from the polls era to the BCS to the four-team playoff process, your résumé matters when it comes to seeding. Either Ohio State or Oregon will come out of this weekend with a top-three victory under their belts, and if it’s the Buckeyes, it will have come on the road. That is incredibly valuable, no matter what happens moving forward. If OSU were to lose to both Penn State and Indiana (even in a hypothetical, I can’t bring myself to give them a loss to TTUN), they would still have a road win over Oregon, and that could be enough to get them into the CFP field as a lower seed.
Or, if they go undefeated alongside Texas and/or Miami, it could be the feather in their cap that gets them on the top line of the bracket. All of these things matter when you are trying to give yourself the best chance to win a national championship. And since Denzel Burke and friends have told us that it is #NattyOrBust, every game has meaning; every game is one step closer to achieving that goal. A loss is undeniably a hit to that plan and a detour on that journey. Can you still make your final destination? Thankfully, yes. But you cannot argue that it isn’t a much easier road with a win on Saturday night than without. Therefore, again, this game carries significant meaning.
Beyond the cold, hard facts of the College Football Playoff, there are many other equally consequential implications for this game, and — in turn — this season. Over the years, I have shared my opinions and criticisms of how Ryan Day has managed the Buckeye program, but I always tried to preface the negative with my belief that he was the right guy for the job, and that Buckeye fans had to know that he would be learning on the fly as a first-time head coach (though I admittedly did not expect it to take this long).
So, I have to give credit where it’s due, the OSU head coach seemingly took every major suggestion that I made in my post-Cotton Bowl Debacle article and put it into practice. It might not all have come to pass exactly as I would have prescribed, but Day did the difficult work of rebuilding his staff, investing in his roster, recalibrating his program’s attitude, and finally moving into the CEO role that he should have embraced years ago.
There are very few things that have happened since the start of the year that don’t look good for Day’s new approach to running his program. But if they don’t lead to results on the field, it might not matter, which is why this game means a tremendous amount from an existential perspective.
Ohio State has three goals going into every football season:
1) Beat Michigan
2) Win the Big Ten
3) Win the National Championship
The Buckeyes can’t accomplish any of those three this weekend, and honestly, they can’t lose the ability to accomplish any of those three this weekend either. But what they can do is piss away 10 months of goodwill built up following yet another disastrous end to a season. It is truly impressive how the fan perception of this team changed so dramatically in the winter months following what was one of the most humiliating games in recent Buckeye memory. The team’s embarrassing 14-3 loss to the Missouri Tigers in the Cotton Bowl resulted in some of the most extreme anger, despondency, and rending of garments that I have ever seen from Buckeye fans.
But fortunately, that appears to have been Ryan Day’s rock bottom moment. He saw the errors of his ways, and he followed the 12-step process that I laid out just hours after the game (ok, it wasn't actually 12 steps and he didn’t exactly follow it, but close enough) and he seemingly has gotten things back on track to take Ohio State to where they need to be.
If his team heads to Eugene and is able to turn in a thoroughly convincing victory, they will inarguably be the best team in college football this season, but if they lose — especially in a disappointing effort — that could undermine everything that Day and the program has accomplished since January. And while, yes, they could still reach all of their goals, getting through a bye week and then the back half of the season following a demoralizing loss in the biggest game on the schedule would not be something that I would advise for anyone, but especially someone in this particularly volatile fanbase.
So, of course this game has meaning; of course who wins matters; of course, you want to win even if winning isn’t necessary to earn a conference or national title, because, when you boil the whole thing down, winning is simply better than losing.
If, following a defeat, you want to take solace in the fact that your team’s national title dreams still have a pulse, you should do that, because the new CFP format affords you that luxury. But that won’t eliminate the sting of disappointment. It won’t remove the pain that overwhelms you following such a public failure. It won’t make the next seven to 14 days any less tumultuous for the losing fanbase, because winning is simply better than losing. Therefore, the game and its result absolutely matter, no matter what the crankiest people around college football try to tell you.
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