At this f’n point I’ll take a win over OSU over ANYTHING. I’d rather go 1-11 with a win vs OSU than 11-1 and another fricken loss. They’ve got to start winning that gd game. NOW.
As someone who was a student at Ohio State during the 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997 seasons, I definitely know how you feel, but I think a few things are different now:
When I was a student, tOSU went 1-4 against Michigan. Oddly, the one win was in one of only two years that Michigan had a better team. When I was a student, Ohio State was 0-3 against Michigan when the Buckeyes had the better team and 1-1 when Michigan had the better team.
Cooper's early Michigan losses (1988-1991) were to clearly superior teams. From 1988-1991 Michigan finished with a better record every year. 1992 was an odd/transitional year. Michigan was really good (9-0-3) but they tied a high-end team (ND) and two inferior teams (IL, tOSU).
The Cooper losses that REALLY bothered me were these three games when Ohio State had a clearly better team and lost anyway:
- 1993: Ohio State came in 9-0-1, Michigan came in 6-4. Worse, two of Michigan's losses were to teams that Ohio State beat (MSU, IL).
- 1995: Ohio State came in 11-0, Michigan came in 8-3.
- 1996: Ohio State came in 10-0, Michigan came in 7-3. Worse, two of Michigan's losses were to teams that Ohio State did not just beat but teams that Ohio State flat out annihilated (PU, PSU).
It got to the point where it just felt to us (tOSU fans) like it wouldn't matter if John Cooper got the 85 Bears and dressed them up in Ohio State uniforms, he'd still find a way to lose to Michigan.
As I see it, two things are different. First, Michigan hasn't been routinely losing to inferior Ohio State teams. The other thing that is different is that the CFP has just changed the game. Back in the 1990's when a lot of Ohio State fans (including me) said we'd rather go 1-10 with a win over Michigan than 11-1 with another Michigan loss, there wasn't really a chance to win a NC without beating Michigan. Now, with the CFP, it IS realistically possible for the loser of THE GAME to win an NC if the cards all fall just right.
In 2019 if either tOSU or M clinches a B1GCG berth prior to THE GAME and heads into THE GAME at 11-0 it would be not just possible but likely that they could lose THE GAME and still make the CFP with a B1GCG win.
So consider just that scenario, you get two choices (for fans of either team):
- Win the rivalry but lose the B1GCG and miss the CFP, or
- Lose the rivalry but win the B1GCG, get to the CFP and win an NC
I would choose the latter and it isn't even close.