Feed Me Ohio State
***I'd like it on record that I know this is a hypothetical pipe dream because 1. I think Michigan is going to play the Ohio State game (despite Dave's plea not to which would be a HILARIOUSLY petty move) ****and 2. The Big Ten is a zero fun league and there's no way Kevin Warren would ever let this happen. 3. From the replies to my tweet last night, Ohio State fans seem to think they're above such a thing which makes zero sense to me but here we are.
***UPDATE: MICHIGAN/OSU IS CANCELED.
LETS FUCKING GO.
When I saw that Ole Miss/A&M got cancelled because there is a Covid outbreak in Oxford, my immediate thought was WHO CAN WE SCHEDULE AND WHO CAN WE SCHEDULE NOW. And of course, my brain went to the team that is being debated with A&M for the #4 spot.
Boy oh boy oh boy. This would be something.
Here's the thing. I don't think A&M deserves that #4 spot (yet). The top 4 teams are pretty solidified as we go into the second to last week of the season. In my opinion, Alabama is the best team in the country, Clemson/Notre Dame will be sorted out in the ACC Championship game and then there's 5-0 Ohio State - who was a pre-season top 4 and a presumed national title contender.
If I worked for the self proclaimed world wide leader, I'd break down the game and talk about who I actually think would win in each matchup on the field. But I don't, so I won't. What I will say is that I want this game and I want it bad. Even if A&M got the DOORS blown off them (which I don't think would happen), it would give me more of an idea of where this team actually is going into next season.
Katie Stats Insert:
- OSU is 106th in passing defense, 6th in rushing.
- A&M is 59th in passing defense, 9th in rushing defense
- OSU is 6th in total offense
- A&M is 38th in total offense
I ain't scared. People were also pissed I suggested Kyle Field. Send us to the Horseshoe, fuck it, why not.
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I personally think Ohio State actually does have something to gain by beating #5 A&M (much more on that below). But I also know A&M does have more to gain in that scenario. I'm not biased there.
Now if I was biased, I'd point out that A&M's only loss is to #1 Alabama - albeit by a lot - and Ohio State hasn't beaten anybody. Sure, Indiana is a good team, but the Buckeyes defense gave up almost 500 yards to Michael Penix Jr. It wasn't THAT impressive. I'd also like to point out that A&M beat the probable Heisman trophy winner (currently #6 team in the country) and has taken care of the rest of their SEC games… which is not an easy task.
ANYWAY - Here are my unbiased reasons why I think this game should be hypothetically played:
1. It's the #4 and #5 teams in the country. As a college football fan, why WOULDN'T I want to see that played?
2. As seen above, it settles the argument for who deserves that #4 spot AND gives us a Big Ten vs. SEC game in 2020.
3. In a year where resume and style points matter even more, it seems like this would be a no brainer. And to all the OSU fans in my mentions like "LOL WHY WOULD WE DO THIS!!? LMAO WHY WOULD YOU WANT THIS?"
UH HELLO, IF YOU'RE SO CONFIDENT… WHY DON'T YOU DO IT? Plus if Florida beats Alabama and Clemson beats Notre Dame, who is to say Ohio State wouldn't be left out with their current resume? I'd say a win over a Top 5 team would help that. No?
AKA: A win over A&M - especially if it was by a lot - would SOLIDIFY OSU as a playoff team.
4. CFP Commissioner Gary Barta publicly said that the committee has considered the fact that Ohio State just simply hasn't played as many games as other teams and that is a knock on their resume. So adding another powerhouse of a game would, in fact, be beneficial.
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5. I understand the Big Ten will probably change the rules so that OSU can get in with only 5 games (again, assuming Michigan pulls out). But at the beginning of the season, the rule was 6 games to make it to the Big Ten title game. 5 is one less than 6. Adding a game makes 6. It's simple math, really. People will doubt why OSU gets in if they only play 5 games and then beat Northwestern in the conference championship game. Add in A&M and the question is easily answered.
6. Justin Fields could sky rocket back into the Heisman race if he torches A&M's defense - which is one of the top in the country. Seems beneficial to me.
7. As we saw with Coastal/BYU, this is the year that random games could be added on any given day. Why not take advantage of this shitty year and add a top 5 matchup?
It's 2020, why the fuck not.