Nothing for feels more 2020 in the sports world than the cancellation of Ohio State-Michigan.
Yes, Ohio State was going to win by at least 40 points but some blowouts are worth every minute.
Instead, the Buckeyes will have another off week before playing in the Big Ten title a week from tomorrow against Northwestern thanks a conference vote eliminating the number of games played provision, previously keeping Ohio State from a date in Indianapolis.
But hey, the 11W roundtable is still here for you in the form of Kyle Jones, Johnny Ginter and David Regimbal. Serve up the #takes boys.
So, The Game was officially canceled meaning Ohio State won’t have a chance to exact a legendary beat down. But that shouldn’t mean you don’t get a chance to share your most memorable moment in the Game’s history. Whaddaya got?
Kyle: For me, the 2006 game stands out the most, but less for what actually happened in the game and more for everything that surrounded it. The build-up began weeks in advance and I think productivity in central Ohio was at an all-time low in the six days leading up to the game - it was all anyone could talk about. Between Troy Smith's front-running Heisman campaign and the talent on the Michigan sideline, it finally felt like both programs were peaking at the same time.
On a personal level, I was a senior that fall, and like many of the players, I knew it would be my last home game as an Ohio State student, and that was the last time I sat in 9a with guys who would later stand up in my wedding. Additionally, and unbeknownst to me at the time, but that game was so big that my future wife had driven down to Columbus from Ann Arbor. Though she was obviously disappointed with the result, we bonded over the fact that we were in the same place at the same time before we ever met.
There may have been more exciting and meaningful games since, but for me, that one will always stand out.
Johnny: The first Michigan game that I saw in person was the 2004 edition at Ohio Stadium. This is back when Michigan football was still considered generally competent and memories of the Bad Old Days of the 90's were still fresh, so given that the Buckeyes were 6-4 going into The Game as double-digit underdogs, I expected a crushing loss of some sort that I would stew over for 11 months and change. Instead what I got was a hilarious upset in which Brandon Joe played a significant factor offensively for some reason and Troy Smith and Ted Ginn, Jr. established a pattern of success that continued until... now.
Afterwards we stormed the field, I stole some field turf, lost it in a Wendy's bathroom, and then passed out for a day and a half.
David: The 2006 matchup was the pinnacle of what The Game should look like. A season of hype. Two good teams vying for championships. Rightfully ending under the lights. And of course, squeezing every drop of hope out of that fanbase/team and making an appletini out of it that lasts a full calendar year.
The Game honestly barely feels like a rivalry anymore due to the lopsided nature of things since 2001. Not that I’m advocating to replace The Game because I sure as hell am not but if Ohio State could strike up an annual non-conference game with any program outside of Alabama, Clemson or Notre Dame, give us a team you think would make a great yearly September rival and why.
David: The only answer here is LSU. You could say Texas or USC, but you would be wrong because LSU.
Johnny: Ohio State should start an extremely one-sided and intense rivalry with a befuddled Cal program, which the Buckeyes should hype up as revenge for losing to them in the Rose Bowl a couple of times, and then just kick the absolute hell out of them on a yearly basis with increasing fury. Jim Tressel famously aimed for a benign touchdown and a half-ish win against everyone except Northwestern, who he inexplicably tried to grind into a fine paste every time they played. Cal is the new Northwestern. Doesn't have to make sense, it's just what should happen.
Kyle: While the stakes often define a rivalry, a crucial element to any good rivalry is proximity. People forget that the closest Big Ten campus to Columbus is the University of Michigan, and the constant battle over both recruits and fans remains a foundational element of the relationship between these two programs. For that reason, I would love to see the Buckeyes schedule an annual matchup with a program in another bordering state.
Notre Dame would have made the perfect foe, but they're excluded from this argument. Kentucky, West Virginia, Cincinnati, and Pitt can all make a case for appearing on Ohio State's schedule every year due to their locations, yet none are perfectly fit to host the Buckeye fanbase on a regular basis. For that reason, I'd love to see the Louisville Cardinals emerge as a regular opponent. The program has shown an ability to recruit and develop high-level talents like Lamar Jackson, Teddy Bridgewater, and DeVante Parker in recent years while playing in a modern stadium that is just a stone's throw from Churchill Downs and just a short drive to downtown Louisville. Few cities are more prepared to host an influx of visitors and more than a handful of OSU alumni would enjoy making a visit to the Bourbon Trail a biannual tradition.
Instead of torturing Michigan, the Buckeyes will enjoy an off week and prepare for a matchup with Northwestern in the Big Ten championship, now that league athletic directors have paved the way. Was that the right decision by the league? Do any other league schools have a legit beef with favoritism shown toward Ohio State? Was Ohio State going to get in even if it didn’t go to Indy but beat Iowa (or Michigan) on Dec. 19 instead?
Kyle: Ohio State is the only undefeated team in the conference, and it beat the next best team in the standings. Yes, the Hoosiers played more games but those wins over Maryland and Michigan don't mean a whole lot. The Buckeyes outscore opponents by an average of 23 points while the Hoosiers win by just 11 on average. Of the three common opponents (Penn State, Rutgers, and Michigan State), Ohio State won those matchups by 13, 22, and 40 points, respectively, while Indiana only won by 1, 16, and 24 points.
For once this season, the Big Ten leadership got out of its own bureaucratic way and made a decision that outsiders agree with, rather than abiding by the unnecessary rules it never needed in the first place.
David: It was of course the right decision. Ohio State would have gone to Indy if it had played Michigan and lost this Saturday. That makes this weekend completely irrelevant. There'd be a different conversation if Indiana and Ohio State hadn't played, but they did. This is some of the dumbest drama of 2020 and there has been a lot of dumb drama this year.
Johnny: Indiana has no claim on any level to be in the Big Ten championship other than a completely arbitrary rule that Kevin Warren probably made up on the spot when someone asked him about it offhandedly sometime in September. Even if Ohio State had played Michigan and lost, they still would've gotten into the championship game because they beat Indiana. Kind of hard to get around that. By the way, props to their admin for handling all of this with class, but that's easy to do when, again, they lost head-to-head to Ohio State.
As for favoritism, I mean, yeah, I guess it is. I show favoritism to pizza over steamed brussels sprouts because pizza is good and brussels sprouts are ass. The Buckeyes have earned some favoritism by virtue of being a million times better than the rest of the conference, and the Big Ten would be dumb as hell to not milk their golden goose while it spins lead into golden mixed metaphors.
In a typical season, the long grind oftentimes gives a lesser-known player a chance to evolve, stand out in practice and make a name for himself down the stretch. That’s not quite the scenario this year due to lack of games but is there an unheralded guy you think could take a leap or make a difference in the postseason? If so, who and why?
Johnny: Demario McCall. No, I'm kidding. What I think might actually happen is that a wideout not named Wilson or Olave ends up getting a lot of looks as teams try to shut down what the Buckeyes are very, very good at doing. So I'll just close my eyes, randomly point at a list of names aaaaannnnddd: Jameson Williams.
Kyle: I believe Tyreke Smith is going to make a lot of money for himself over the next month. After a quiet start, he's come on strong over the last three games to register 14 QB pressures (according to PFF) and is just one pressure away from tying his total of 19 from a year ago despite playing less than half as many games. Though he's only tallied a single sack this fall, I expect him to see the field even more as Larry Johnson shrinks his rotation in tight games, relying on the players he trusts most. With the productive duo of Haskell Garrett and Tommy Togiai drawing attention inside, the junior from Cleveland Heights will have ample opportunities to make plays in opposing backfields.
David: I need more Jaxon Smith-Njigba in my life because I think about the touchdown catch he made in the season-opener at least three times a day. Beyond that, I desperately want to see a viable third option develop in the passing game beyond Olave and Wilson. Both have been tremendous registering 30-plus receptions, but there isn't another receiver or tight end that's reached double-digit catches through five games. That is bonkers.
