Skull Session: Cheaters Prosper

This sucks.

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 25, 2023

WORD OF THE DAY: Heartbreak.

 A PICTURE'S WORTH 1,000 WORDS.

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 CHEATERS PROSPER. On Nov. 30, 2019, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day celebrated his first win over Michigan. The Buckeyes had defeated the Wolverines, 56-27, in Ann Arbor thanks to stellar performances from Justin Fields (302 yards, four touchdowns) and J.K. Dobbins (211 yards, four touchdowns).

“In games like this, it comes down to players. Our players made plays,” Day said after the game.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day shakes the hand of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh after the Buckeyes won 56-27 in 2019 (Photo credit: Kyle Robertson / Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY Sports)

In a conference room around the corner, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh mourned his 0-5 record vs. the Buckeyes — a record that surpassed John Cooper (0-4-1) for a head coach's worst start ever in The Game. Four of Harbaugh's losses came to three-time national champion Urban Meyer; the fifth came to Day, a first-year head coach at Ohio State and in college football.

“Is it a talent gap? Is it a preparation gap? Is it a coaching gap?" a reporter asked Harbaugh. "What is the difference between you and Ohio State?”

Harbaugh glared at the reporter when he uttered the words coaching gap.

“I’ll answer your questions,” Harbaugh responded. “Not your insults.”

At that moment, it wasn’t an insult. At that moment, it was a necessary question for a coach who had no answers for his archrival. At that moment, it felt like Harbaugh would never close the gap.

Then he did.

Over the weekend, Ohio State suffered its third consecutive loss to Michigan. Day sat in the same room where he celebrated his first win over the Wolverines. But this time around, there was no celebration. Instead, he looked helpless. This time around, it was Day who had no answers for his archrival.

"Hard to describe. Just sick — the fact that we came up short in this game," Day said. "We're all disappointed. We know what this game means to so many people. To come up short is crushing because you invest your whole year in it. We know at Ohio State what this game means. There is a locker room in there that's devastated."

A reign of Ohio State dominance over Michigan, which started under Jim Tressel and was carried on by Meyer, has ended.

On Saturday, Day lost to Sherrone Moore – not Harbaugh. The Michigan Man missed The Game as he served the remainder of his three-game suspension from the Big Ten, one handed down as a result of an NCAA investigation into allegations of in-person scouting and sign-stealing within the Wolverines' program.

The conference removed Harbaugh from the sidelines, but that made Day's performance look even worse. He was outcoached by Moore, who improved to 4-0 as an interim head coach for Harbaugh at Michigan. Day's comparisons to Cooper, an out-of-state coach who recruited well and won many games but had a 2-10-1 record in The Game, have increased as a result. Day's impressive recruiting classes, a 56-7 overall record, a 1-3 mark in The Game — the warrant for such a claim is there.

Sooner or later (probably later), the NCAA will complete its investigation into Michigan and the Wolverines will be punished for their in-person scouting and signal-stealing. Within said punishment, the organization could vacate Michigan's victories from the past three seasons, all of which included wins over Ohio State.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day reacts to an official's call in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. (Photo: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports)

That could soften the blow of the losses for Ohio State fans. Then again, probably not.

For now, the Buckeyes and their fans will watch Michigan win its third consecutive Big Ten championship this weekend. They will then watch the Wolverines reach their third straight College Football Playoff, where the maize and blue will look to win their first national championship since 1997.

As it turns out, the old English proverb is wrong. Cheaters do prosper.

Michigan is proof.

And that's what hurts the most.

 NO GOLD PANTS. When the Buckeyes defeated the Wolverines in 2019, it marked five consecutive Ohio State recruiting classes winning (at least) four pairs of Gold Pants before their departure from Columbus.

Then came the canceled 2020 game and the Buckeyes' losses in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

While Ohio State's classes of 2022 and 2023 still have time to secure Gold Pants, some notable members of the classes of 2020 and 2021 have ended or could end their careers without The Game's coveted token:

*pending their decision to enter the 2024 NFL draft

2020

• C.J. Stroud
• Paris Johnson Jr.
• Jaxon Smith-Njigba
• Luke Wypler
• Julian Fleming*
• Miyan Williams*
• Lathan Ransom*

2021

• Marvin Harrison Jr.*
• Emeka Egbuka*
• TreVeyon Henderson*
• Donovan Jackson*
• JT Tuimoloau*
• Jack Sawyer*
• Mike Hall Jr.*
• Tyleik Williams*
• Denzel Burke*

As Jim Tressel said before The Game on Saturday, when former Buckeyes return to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center or the Shoe, those players don't discuss the number of Big Ten championships or national championships won — they discuss their record against "That Team Up North."

"I watched it for three years as an assistant and 10 years as a head coach. Whenever the old guys come back, all they talk about is what their record was in that game," Tressel said. "They don't talk about how many Big Ten championships (they have) or if they went to the national championship. It's, 'I was there four or five years and this was my record.' Nothing long-term is as big as this game."

Unfortunately, Ohio State legends like Stroud and Harrison — and all the Buckeyes who rallied behind them — won't be able to contribute much to those conversations.

As one can imagine, that is a burden to bear.

It was for Harrison on Saturday.

Marvin Harrison Jr. after losing to Michigan pic.twitter.com/cs4O8Hmkbe

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 25, 2023

Yeah, that video makes me sad.

 WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? With Ohio State's loss to Michigan on Saturday, national college football analysts from ESPN, CBS Sports and 247Sports have predicted the same postseason destination and opponent for the Buckeyes:

• ESPN (Mark Schlabach): Orange Bowl vs. Louisville
• ESPN (Kyle Bonagura): Orange Bowl vs. Louisville
• CBS Sports (Jerry Palm): Orange Bowl vs. Louisville
• 247Sports (Brad Crawford): Orange Bowl vs. Louisville

As has been broken down in the Eleven Warriors Forum, there is still a chance Ohio State can make the College Football Playoff in 2023. But like last season, the Buckeyes’ playoff hopes will depend on the success, or lack thereof, of Georgia, Washington, Florida State and Texas.

THE SCENARIOS

1.  Georgia beats Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
2.  Washington beats Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
3.  Florida State loses to Louisville in the ACC Championship Game.
4.  Texas loses to Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship Game.

With these outcomes, Ohio State could earn favor from the CFP selection committee due to its ranked wins over Notre Dame and Penn State. That, and the Buckeyes' brand, which remains undefeated. The CFP is as much a postseason tournament to determine a national champion as it is a television show — and no team in college football draws more eyeballs than Ohio State.

Now, does Ohio State deserve a spot in the CFP?

Not really.

However, that would have been my answer at this time last season, and then Ohio State took the eventual national champion Georgia Bulldogs down to the wire at the 2022 Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

That outcome should remind us that you can never count the Buckeyes out. Never.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Hurt" - Johnny Cash (Nine Inch Nails Cover).

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