The Buckeyes need a little help this weekend but appear to be in pretty good position to advance to the Playoff if USC loses. TCU loss would create a unique dilemma and probably will depend on how bad they lose... Big Wildcat and Utes fan this weekend!

I don't think Bama has a shot. Even Finebaum and Dinich indicated Ohio State would get in ahead of Alabama if it came to that.

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Apparently that 4th down where CJ was frustrated because he wanted to go for it was supposed to be a fake punt. I saw something on Twitter about it and then our friend Kirk from BuckeyeScoop did a video breaking it down. I know how much he is loved here so I won’t link it but you can look it up yourself if you want. So it appears Day did intend on going for it but for whatever reason it wasn’t executed.

The more I watched the game yesterday, the more I struggled to understand what OSUs offensive identity was. There was the early zone plays up the middle and stretching them out wide. It seemed like the idea was to stretch them to crest more run room in the middle. But the more the game went on and Michigan decided to play and extra man out there to even the numbers, it left OSU without answers. Would love some clarity on this for a better understanding!

Go bucks

I am very confused on this Michigan game. All of my thoughts and beliefs have been proven wrong in this game.

My trust that Ryan Day is a great offensive mind and play caller. Squashed. Either he is spread too thin and needs to hand over the play calling rains or he is just not as good as I thought?

My belief that Kevin Wilson is a great offensive mind and he and Day are a wicked tandem. Squashed. Don't have access behind the scenes to say if Wilson is being stifled?

My belief that Jim Knowles is a great D coordinator who makes great in game adjustments. Squashed. Epic fail in this game. Epic.

My belief that the hires of Perry Eliano and Tim Walton were great. Particularly Tim Walton. Squashed. (why Walton is not getting more grief this year is beyond me) Considering how Coombs was killed here for poor db play...Walton is never mentioned.

My belief that OSU recruits really good talent, but also really good kids is a winning strategy. Squashed. I think this teams might need more "dogs" on the team.

My belief that Ryan Day is too smart to let his ego get involved in what is best for this team. Squashed. (see play calling)

My belief that CJ Stroud was the top QB in college. Squashed. He is young and talented, but the game is evolving and you need to have your legs be part of the threat. Give me Bryce Young or Caleb Williams types to put more strain on the defense.

Lastly my belief that OSU will fix these issues moving forward? Squashed for now. Convince me...

Apparently visited yesterday and had some things to say about his home state school.

As this being my first year as a season ticket holder I would love to hear about insight into the game day experience anything from the Skull session to parking to getting into and out of the game tips and going to away games does and don’ts ( me and my wife went to a Nebraska game and the people there were the nicest I’ve been around) I am always looking for insight into making my experience better from people with more experience than me

Was curious about how many passes backup QBs had thrown for some of the top schools..

Georgia 34 passes by non Stetson Bennett.
TTUN 20 passes by non McCarthy/McNamara
TCU 32 passes by non Max Duggen
USC 14 passes by non Caleb Williams
Ohio State 20 passes by non CJ Stroud

If Day isn’t blown away by McCord or Brown, why wouldn’t he take a shot at Drake Maye? I’ve now heard a few CFB analysts such a Joel Klatt propose this move, so I can’t help but wonder.

I imagine it’s not his way and he wouldn’t want to upset the applecart. But if not us, he’ll likely end up at Alabama or something.

Ryan Day walks into Ann Arbor.

Staring 0-3 in the face, back up against the wall, and another 365 days of narratives about how Ohio State had their ass handed to them two years in a row.

The future of the program is officially in the balance.

My wife and I just discussed the fact that its been more than a year since we replaced our old Block O flag outside. With the flag...8-0..Without the flag 0-2..My bad. Will rememedy asap. Carry on

Losing in such a sickening way is one thing allowing that to happen shows you " Our Honor Defend" is nothing but BS and cowardly

@Bill Landis What are your thoughts on Tim Walton?

No other position group has been adversely affected by recruiting "misses/losses" as corner, specifically Clark Phillips, Terrence Brooks and Jaheim Singletary. So, in Walton's defense, the cupboard is not as stacked as it could be. That said, our corners look 'broken'. They don't play the ball, they don't tackle in space, they don't play big or play with swag, they get way too many DPI penalties. It's hard to believe we were arguably "CBU" for a decade. Those days seem like a lifetime ago.

Right here:

Curious to get everyone’s opinions on which assistants should see their walking papers?

Much has been made about questioning Day’s short and long-term future, rightfully so, but what shake ups are you hoping to see from the staff?

I have believed and continue to believe that Tim Walton should be a one and done. I could argue others.

Your thoughts?

This guy should be tried and sentenced before the end of the year.

This felt like the lowest point as an Ohio State fan and alum in some time. Worse than last year (by far) and worse than 2006’s Florida game. 2015 MSU felt bad, and as a kid, year after year against Michigan felt like the end of the world.

I would even argue this was a little ground-shifting for me. I’m 35, a father of a 2-year-old, with another on the way in April. I prioritize OSU football. I tell my wife we can’t do things on Saturday because it is reserved for Ohio State games. I make it overly important to my life, listen to hours of podcasts, and ingest OSU content for hours a week. I think about this program a lot, probably far too much. Today felt like a reason to take a step back. Worry more about things that impact my immediate life, like my family, career, friends, etc. Maybe that sounds dramatic, but this felt a lot different than past defeats. We came up lame against the best of the best, but being #2 in the B1G isn’t something fans have felt since the early days of this millennium. College football is changing, and I don’t love the vibe as much as I once did. It’s only becoming more NFL-like in the future, and that makes it lose some luster to me.

Thoughts on the game and program:

1 - Last year they weren’t the better team. I don’t know if they were the better team today, but it felt like they were severely held back by the coaching and playcalling.
2 - They dominated the first half but felt like they wouldn’t get out of their own way. How was it not 28-10 at half? Bill talked about getting a big lead, and they blew it.
3 - Ryan Day outsmarted himself. You have arguably the best QB and WR in the sport. They just couldn’t finish on offense and focused too much on targeting Stover and Xavier Johnson.
4 - Matt Jones' situation hurt more than I thought it would. The hold was a killer.
5 - Chip was pretty good, but it seemed like they had something in Hayden, and he got two carries. He must fumble every other carry in practice? It’s so confounding.
6 - Defense had them contained, and then the dam broke. The 3rd down all-out blitz call that led to the first long score injected life in UM and sapped it from OSU.
7 - The punt down 4 felt like a scared move. Go get momentum back.
8 - The DBs weren’t it. They didn’t want to sniff transfers. It was the undoing of this defense. The front seven deserved better.
9 - The really troubling thing was the lack of mental toughness, composure, and willingness to stay in the fight. When UM players say they knew when your will broke in the post-game, that’s an issue. THE PENALTIES, especially in crucial game-changing situations, were a backbreaker.
10 - They quit… I don’t remember seeing OSU teams in the past do that? Why can’t they punch back instead of folding? They dog walk bad teams all year, and when they are in a dog fight with a talented team, it seems like they want no part of it.
11 - The toughness issue was physical last year, this year, it seemed more mental. Is Mick still maximizing this team? Is Day? It’s a question that should be asked because, honestly, what changes in the next 365 to flip this outcome?
12 - The soft thing is lame, but this program has a lot of question marks. Why so many injuries? The JSN thing was genuinely puzzling. I get you can rest guys, and win a lot of games, but the roster has seemed so disjointed all year.

The way Birm looked in Snap Judgements resonated. He looked sick. That’s how many fans feel, and I feel sick tonight. I feel sick for the players who work hard for this. I know they didn’t deliver, but they must feel 100x worse than any of us. I feel sick for CJ Stroud. His postgame was heartfelt, and you know, 2 decades from now, what people will say about him. He was two wins away from a Heisman and more team accomplishments and came up empty twice. It’s not easy having the spotlight, and he will have to live with the outcome of this for a long time. Sorry for this long post, but I felt like ranting before I could go to sleep. I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving, despite today.

@Birm @AEllis: Any first pass information either of you can share on how the visits are going? Specifically Downs and Wilson?