and we do know that OSU changed their signs last year
This simply cannot be true as the B1G letter makes clear.
Ohio State has a lot of plays, not just three. Also, tOSU frequently runs HUNH where EVERY player on the field has to know EVERY sign.
Maybe if you had Krenzel at QB and you were huddling between snaps, then *MAYBE* you could install a new set of signs in a week.
That isn't the case. Today's offenses require that EVERY player know EVERY sign. Not just the smartest player, nor even the average player, even the slowest guy has to know the signs.
That necessarily has to start in Spring or certainly no later than fall. You can't do that in a week, but you might be able to do it in a month which brings me to:
you are seriously over-thinking things....it's pretty simple. Michigan didn't take TCU seriously, played a sloppy ass game, got boned by the refs on a clear TD only to fumble the ball on the very next play at TCU's 1 yard line- and a bunch of 18-22 year olds on TCU blew their wad on a Michigan team they spent a month plus preparing for.
Upsets happen. Once TCU blew their wad on Michigan and only had a week and not an entire month plus to prepare for a team SIGNIFICANTLY more talented than them- and more talented than Michigan- well, it's a wrap.
Prior to the cheating scandal becoming public, I believed more-or-less exactly what you are saying here.
That still *MIGHT* be possible but now I'm skeptical and Occam's razor does not support your view. The simplest explanation is that Michigan's sign stealing endeavor failed them or even backfired.
I'll also add this because it is more circumstantial evidence:
CJ Stroud is a lock for NFL Rookie of the Year and making a case for greatest Rookie QB NFL season in history.
Ohio State's offense last year, with the aforementioned Stroud at QB was unstoppable most of last year. They even scored 41 on a Georgia team that, according to you was:
more talented than Michigan
That unstoppable tOSU offense with soon-to-be NFL Rookie of the Year and arguably best NFL Rookie QB in history scored (checks notes) three points against Michigan in the Second half last year and 23 total.
It is possible that Michigan just played way above themselves in the tOSU game.
It is possible that CJ Stroud just randomly happend to have a REALLY bad half against Michigan last year.
It is possible that Michigan had an astonishingly bad day against TCU.
It is possible that TCU had an unbelievably good day against Michigan last year.
It is possible that TCU had an astonishingly bad day against Georgia last year.
It is possible that Georgia had an unbelievably good day against TCU last year.
None of those things are individually impossible. The probability of all of those things being true is extremely slim.
Occam's razor says that the more likely explanation is that Michigan's cheating made them look better than they were against tOSU and their inability to cheat made them look worse against TCU.
The above may not be the case but the fact that it is now the simplest and most likely explanation is Michigan's fault so if you don't like it, address your objections to Schembechler Hall.
