Ohio State football: The sky isn’t falling

Even though the Ohio State football program has lost a few transfers, it doesn’t mean that the Buckeyes are in trouble.

Hey, you. Yeah, you in the scarlet and gray, listen up. The sky isn’t falling, okay? Losing one battle to Alabama for a transfer doesn’t mean the Buckeyes have now hopelessly fallen behind the Tide. Let’s just all take a breath, relax, and look at the big picture.

Judging from the reaction of Buckeye Nation when former Tennessee linebacker Henry To’o To’o chose Alabama over the Buckeyes, you’d have thought Ryan Day and his staff should just put away the shoulder pads and helmets because the Crimson Tide had created an insurmountable gap between the two programs.

A lot of Buckeye hopes were high because some very knowledgeable insiders felt all signs were pointing to To’o To’o landing in Columbus. Here is the thing to keep in mind. Alabama was always his favorite. The Buckeyes were just a backup plan. His father told BamaOnLine, “One thing that we talked about was that we chose Tennessee the first time when we should have come to Alabama, so let’s not make this mistake twice.”

Now, does that sound like someone who was on the cusp of joining the Buckeyes? So, let’s all stop acting like Bama coach Nick Saban swooped in, waved his magic wand, and lured To’o To’o away from the Buckeyes. Looking at it now, I don’t think this race was ever really close.

The national championship game has taken on a life of its own. The Ohio State football team lost by 28 points. Four touchdowns. Four, not the forty-some have made it seem. OSU lost their best running back almost as soon as the game started and their best offensive lineman before halftime.

Yet, they still managed 24 points and should have had 31. Another ridiculously bad replay interpretation took away a clear and obvious Chris Olave touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. The biggest reason for the loss was because of a very bad defensive game plan being used against a very good Alabama offense. An exceptional Alabama offense.

They were loaded on that side of the ball. Their defense was good enough, but not what I considered great. They gave up 48 points to Mississippi and 46 to Florida. But, that offense was exceptional.

Here’s the thing about that Alabama offense. They have to replace eight starters. Five of them were consensus All-Americans. They have to replace their top two rushers. The heir apparent at quarterback is already having his decision-making skills questioned and will be throwing to a largely inexperienced receiving corps. My point? The Tide’s offense will look a lot more human this year.

Does anyone remember the 2019 season? The one where the Buckeyes went to the playoff and Alabama didn’t? That’s right, the Tide is not too far removed from not making the playoff. They were still very good that year, but not unbeatable.

Also, keep in mind that the 2019 Ohio State football team was considered the best in the country. Yes, I know what happened against Clemson with that SEC officiating crew. But, the bottom line is the Buckeyes were considered to be better than the Tide that year. Doesn’t seem to me there is much of a gap if any.

Don’t misunderstand the points I’ve made. I’m not bashing the Tide or trying to diminish their program. Alabama has a great program, but so does Ohio State, and Buckeye fans need to remember it doesn’t take a backseat to anyone.

If any program should be worried about falling behind it is Clemson. In their last two playoff games, they’ve given up 91 points and nearly 1300 yards. Tiger fans are the ones who should be worried Dabo’s bunch is losing ground. If I recall correctly, certain media members have called for teams who perform poorly in playoff games to be banned from participating again. I’d say Clemson has performed poorly in their last two playoff games.

The bottom line is let’s just all relax Ohio State football fans. The sky isn’t falling and our favorite college football team isn’t being left in the dust by Alabama. Any time you begin feeling down, just grab a favorite beverage, sit on the couch, and watch Ohio State’s destruction of Clemson again. That glorious sight is enough to brighten the day of anyone wearing scarlet and gray.