Wolverine Digest

Former Ohio State head coach lays groundwork for excuse if Buckeyes lose to Michigan

Chris Breiler

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It wasn't all that long ago that Ohio State was viewed as a juggernaut within the Big Ten conference. But ever since the 2021 season, the Buckeyes have transitioned from a juggernaut to a program that essentially lives on excuses.

Following the loss to the Wolverines in 2021, former Buckeye quarterback CJ Stroud indicated that the "flu" played a role in Michigan dominating Ohio State by a score of 42-27 in Ann Arbor.

“When you take into consideration what we’re going through that week, preparing for the team up north and everybody kind of having the flu and things like that – of course I don’t make excuses – but you kind of got to take that into consideration. It kind of does matter," Stroud said following the loss.

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Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Two years later, the Connor Stalions "sign-stealing" controversy gave Ohio State fans another excuse for the 22-point loss the Buckeyes suffered in Columbus during the 2022 season. And when Ohio State lost to Michigan again in 2023, Buckeye fans once again chalked it up to Michigan simply cheating.

Year after year, Ohio State seems to come up short when it matters most, and that lack of success has led to a pattern of making excuses. Whether it be excuses for losing to Clemson (2019), excuses for losing to Georgia (2022), or excuses for losing to Michigan (2021-23), the Buckeye faithful just can't seem to accept the fact that they don't always have the best football team on the field.

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Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

But heading into the 2024 matchup between Michigan and Ohio State, there's no question who the favorite is in this one. The Buckeyes (10-1) are currently the betting favorite to win the national championship, while the Wolverines (6-5) are out of the conference championship and playoff picture altogether. Ohio State opened the week as a massive 23.5 point favorite over Michigan, and ESPN is giving the Wolverines just an 8.2% chance of pulling off the upset in Columbus.

Given the fact that Ohio State is clearly the heavy favorite in this year's matchup, you'd think the mentality coming out of Columbus would be "no excuses." But a former Buckeye head coach laid the groundwork for a familiar excuse this week, saying that "weather" could play a factor in determining the outcome on Saturday. Appearing on the 'Bleav in Buckeye Football' podcast, former OSU head coach Jim Tressel said that weather is the great equalizer.

"In November, the great equalizer is the weather," Tressel said. "And you never know what the weather can do to the game. We'll have to see how it happens this week."

Let's just hope that the football gods provide us with clear skies and sunshine for Saturday's matchup in the Horseshoe between the Wolverines and the Buckeyes, that way there can be no excuses. Of course, the last time the two programs squared off in Columbus under clear skies and sunshine, the Wolverines left the state of Ohio with a 22-point victory.

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Chris Breiler
CHRIS BREILER

Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.

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