It sounds like Gene Smith thinks the Ohio State Football team is soft
By Ryan Stano
Before we get too out of hand here, let me clarify that Gene Smith did not actually come out and say this outright about the Ohio State football program. But his comments about hosting a home playoff game come CFP expansion time definitely convey those thoughts.
Speaking to the media, Smith said that he would push for the Ohio State football team to have a home playoff game played somewhere like Indianapolis instead of in the Shoe, that way weather doesn’t affect the game. He essentially wants Ohio State to give up their big advantage over southern teams.
This tells me that he thinks Ryan Day has built a soft team that isn’t capable of handling adversity in the weather. They did have to play in some flurries and cold weather against TTUN and came up losers, so I guess I might see where he could think that.
But make no mistake about it; this would be the wrong move. If the Buckeyes were to get home-field advantage in a 12-team playoff, they should absolutely play games at the Shoe. The reasons for that are so obvious that I’m surprised Smith completely ignored them.
First off, fans wouldn’t have to drive to another state to watch the team play. Having the game at home would allow fans to stay put and create a massive noise advantage for the Buckeyes. The fans in Columbus don’t care what kind of weather it is outside, they’ll show up regardless.
Secondly, having the game indoors would neutralize an advantage that Ohio State would have over teams from the South. Teams from the South never travel north to play teams when it’s cold outside. Most southern teams don’t even know how to handle the cold.
Removing that advantage would be foolish for the Buckeyes even if they are built for speed. Yes, a team built for speed is better indoors. But you know who is also pretty good indoors? Alabama. Clemson. Georgia. All of those teams have never had to play in the snow.
These comments tell me that Smith doesn’t think the Ohio State football program is built to win in tough conditions, ergo calling them soft. Tough teams play well in any sort of conditions. In fact, tough teams embrace inclement weather. They thrive on it.
Any sort of home Playoff game is a long way away though. We’ll see if Smith changes his tune before anything gets set in stone.