this gets thrown around a lot but Saturday's game is the game of the decade for PSU and tOSU.
For CJF, we've got our best team in years and tOSU appears to be struggling despite having natty-level talent. It is a home game on national TV and a cranked-up crowd. We will probably lose a ton of talent after this season and this opportunity won't come around again for a couple of years in all probability. For CJF, is 10-2 the best we can hope for even under the best of circumstances?
For Day and tOSU, they've lost to UM for four years in a row. They haven't been to a natty game. They are all-in on NIL paying out over $20m this year. They have a loss and another would really hurt their chances for a playoff birth and they still have the UM and Indy games on their schedule. The seat is hot for coach Day and he may not survive a loss to PSU and missing out on a natty birth.
The losing team will have to make some fundamental changes or accept mediocrity. either of those paths will affect these teams more than just the 2024 season.
It's a good argument but not sure I buy it. Neither program will accept mediocrity and neither one will need fundamental change if they lose it.
In contrast to past years, it's not a must-win game for PSU to make the playoff (which might mean PSU coaches can call a more wide-open game and take some chances). The only way they beat tOSU is to play with abandon and have a bunch of stuff go right for them -- such as turnovers, key penalties -- just like Oregon needed.
I don't think Ohio State fans are all that excited about it. They don't see this as a great Ohio State team at this point -- its personnel shortcomings are real and will not be solved this season. 8-9 years ago PSU was more threatening, even winning some recruiting battles, but that threat is gone. PSU is to Ohio State what Wisconsin was for PSU -- a potentially tough but ultimately inferior opponent. Ohio State fully expects to win one way or another because that's what they do - it took a miracle play for PSU to beat them in 2016 and it hasn't happened since.
If Ohio State loses, maybe Ryan Day gets a little heat but his job is probably safe -- he lost 3 years to Michigan and nobody made a serious effort to fire him because he recruits at a top 5 level, and recruiting is 80 percent of the game.
If PSU loses, it's another typical Franklin season -- a very good top 10 team that is not a top 5 team. Which frankly is about right, because PSU does not have top 5 talent. PSU fans will grumble but the program is in a really good place. Plus, assuming they make the playoff, that's another whole season and maybe Franklin will be a great playoff coach.
