Ohio State Buckeyes fans were disappointed when TTUN got minor penalties after quite literally cheating to gain a competitive advantage with the Connor Stalions sign-stealing controversy.
Apparently, their own media illiteracy is to blame.
Michigan Wolverines On SI's Chris Breiler shared a patronizing piece pinning the "actual" blame for Buckeye outrage from the minor setbacks the maize and blue are about to face on podcasters and YouTubers who apparently set up unrealistic expectations.
"The fantasy told (Ohio State fans) that all of Michigan's success from 2021 to 2023 would be taken away—that wins would be vacated, the national championship would be stripped, and a multi-year postseason ban would be implemented. Hell, some even believed that current head coach Sherrone Moore would be fired as a result of the NCAA investigation. They bought into that fantasy hook, line, and sinker," Breiler wrote.
"Those fans were so desperate to undermine Michigan's success that they believed fake 'reports' from internet superfans and even a few media members, all insisting that a massive NCAA hammer was about to fall on the Wolverines' football program. These grifters peddled lies not because they had inside knowledge, but because they knew a gullible audience was eager to believe anything that discredited Michigan. The goal wasn't the truth—it was clicks, views, and subscribers. And unfortunately, plenty of Ohio State fans fell for it, fueling podcasts and platforms built almost exclusively on fraud."
There were no remotely mainstream rumors about Sherrone Moore getting fired. In fact, there was minimal fanfare in general ahead of the announcements.
Expecting more than just a $30 million slap on the wrist and a suspension for Jim Harbaugh, who likely will remain in the NFL for as long as he's a head coach, doesn't make a large portion of the rival fanbase uninformed.
TTUN got off easy. Take your victory lap, blue team.
Spare us the told-ya-so's, please.