College football spent the weekend doing what it does best: absolutely losing its mind. Seven of the AP Poll’s top 16 teams fell, and while Ohio State sat out, the chaos machine kept humming everywhere else.
Michigan was right in the middle of it.
The Wolverines dropped a 13-6 decision to Indiana, and the postgame meme treatment was immediate and ruthless. Someone recast the familiar coach-singing video with Michigan faces pasted in, and the bit lands even harder because of who’s in it: Kyle Whittingham, Savion Hiter, Bryce Underwood, Tommy Carr, and, in the funniest touch of all, Dave Portnoy on the saxophone.
The punchline, though, is bigger than a meme. Michigan’s offense has become a weekly disaster. Jason Beck is the highest-paid offensive coordinator in college football at $3 million a year, but the unit still can’t get out of its own way.
Over Michigan’s last three games, drives that didn’t begin with a defensive turnover have looked like this: “PUNT PUNT PUNT PUNT INT INT PUNT PUNT DOWNS PUNT PUNT INT PUNT INT PUNT PUNT PUNT PUNT FMB PUNT INT PUNT MISSED FG MISSED FG PUNT PUNT MADE FG”
That’s 27 drives, 17 punts, five interceptions, one fumble, and just three points.
Gross is the polite version.
The strange thing is that Michigan’s defense keeps showing up. According to AP’s Josh Dubow, the Wolverines are the 33rd power-conference team to allow 20 points or fewer in each of their first seven games of a season.
They’re the only one of those 33 to lose three of those games. The other 32 teams combined for only 11 losses, and the only other squad with multiple defeats was 2019 Iowa.
That defense will matter a lot when Ohio State sees Michigan in Columbus on Nov. 28.
With Julian Sayin doubtful to return for the regular season, either Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair will be under center for the Buckeyes.
Ryan Day and Arthur Smith will need to have somebody ready for that matchup, because the cleanest path is obvious: if Ohio State can score, like, two touchdowns, it should have enough to handle The Game.
USC also took a hit in the weekend madness, and this one stings in a different way.
The Trojans went to Madison ranked No. 16 and got bludgeoned 24-7 by Wisconsin. Colton Joseph completed 12 of 14 passes for 58 yards and a touchdown, and USC’s seven points were the fewest it has scored under Lincoln Riley.
That loss puts Riley and USC in a brutally thin spot. If the Trojans lose to Ohio State on Saturday, they’ll almost certainly miss the CFP again, now sitting with three losses and still staring at No.
4 Indiana, Maryland and No. 7 UCLA on the schedule.
Yikes doesn’t really cover it. LinkedIn Riley incoming.
Elsewhere, Jeremiah Smith keeps looking like the best player in college football because, well, he is. ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg ranked Smith No. 1 among the top 25 players in the country midway through the season, and the case is getting harder to ignore by the week.
Smith’s first half has fueled talk that he might be the greatest college wide receiver ever. He has four or more catches in every game, a touchdown in all but one, two 200-yard receiving games and four games with at least 100 yards.
He leads the nation with 42 first-down receptions, has set Ohio State career records for catches, receiving yards and touchdowns, and tied the Big Ten career touchdown record at 39. He needs 247 more yards to become the Big Ten’s all-time receiving leader.
The numbers on the season are just as absurd: 52 catches, 984 yards and 12 touchdowns, with more still coming.
And then there was Ohio State’s club football team, which somehow authored one of the most ridiculous scores of the year by beating Wright State 105-0 at Lincoln Tower Field. The Buckeyes put up 98 points in the first half alone, including 56 in the first quarter and 42 in the second.
Yes, that happened. No, it does not feel real.
Shoutout to James Grega and his players for that one. That’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen.
As for the rest of the weekend’s noise, Josh Pate was in the middle of it after saying on Bussin’ With The Boys that he could see Ohio State missing the College Football Playoff after Julian Sayin’s injury. Doug Lesmerises quickly and correctly noted that the Buckeyes are now locked into the CFP, and Alex Cole pointed out the likely follow-up: Pate saying he was only relaying what others had said about Ohio State.
For a weekend with this much chaos, that felt about right.
In Other News...
Ohio State Suddenly Has A Quarterback Depth Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Ohio States quarterback room looks a lot different than the one fans expected to see heading into the season, and the ripple effects are hard to ignore. With starter Julian Sayin dealing with an injury, Ryan Day is expected to turn to true freshman Luke Fahey in the backup role, a move that instantly shines a light on just how young and unproven the depth chart has become behind center.
Former coach Urban Meyer has already raised the question many around the program are asking, wondering why five-star prospect Tavien St. Clair is not in position to back up Sayin despite his obvious talent. It is the kind of quarterback situation that can feel manageable in September and suddenly become a real concern if the Buckeyes need answers in a hurry, especially with a room made up mostly of true freshmen, redshirt freshmen and a senior transfer who has limited starting experience. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Stays In The Spotlight As USC Trip Brings Bigger Concern
Ohio State remains squarely in the national conversation after the Week 8 US LBM Coaches Poll placed the Buckeyes at No. 2, just behind Miami and ahead of a reshuffled top five that includes Georgia moving up to No. 3. For a program carrying playoff expectations every week, the ranking is less of a surprise than a reminder of how little margin there is at the top, especially with Oregon sliding out of the mix after a loss.
The bigger immediate issue is the trip to USC, where Ohio State is still waiting on a starting quarterback announcement expected soon. The Buckeyes have plenty of attention coming their way no matter how the poll looks, but the quarterback decision adds another layer to a game that already feels like a test of where this team really stands as the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Final Tune Up Brought A Big Reason For Optimism
Ohio States final preseason test in Columbus gave the Buckeyes a useful snapshot of where this roster can go, and a few familiar faces made the evening feel bigger than a typical tune-up. In an 82-73 win over Butler, the Buckeyes got strong contributions from several key players, with Amare Bynum leading the way with 23 points while John Mobley Jr., LJ Smith and Justin Pippen all played important roles in the buildup to the regular season.
The night also carried a healthy dose of program history. Jon Diebler was back around the team, and former head coach Thad Matta was honored at halftime, adding some extra weight to an exhibition that already felt like more than just a warmup. For Ohio State, the performance offered reasons to feel encouraged, even if the bigger questions about how this group will mesh are still waiting to be answered when the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]