Thought experiment: OSU Playoff Rematch...
Not gonna lie, I periodically fantasize about beating OSU twice in the same year, the second time being for the National Championship. Imagine that! Permanent series bragging rights... "You can have your 20 years of dominance, we beat you twice in one year--The Game in Columbus and The Game II for the Natty!"
Also, not gonna lie, I like the thought of keeping our current bragging rights for another 360+ days regardless of what happens in the playoffs, so playing them again and possibly losing to them this soon after Armageddon--and on that stage--would be awful.
Ignoring all the "it'll never happen--they'd get destroyed by Georgia" takes, would you like to see these two play again in the playoff (presumably the 'ship and not a semi)? And, if we beat them, what would that mean? What would you do? Conversely, same questions for if we were to lose...
I don't think we'd "flinch" in a rematch, but I do think it'll be more of a challenge since they won't go zero or single-high so much and Day will go for it on 4th and short every time. But, oh yeah--LOL--if they go 2-deep we mash 'em anyway. Plus, their offense will still not have a good power success rate on 3rd and 4th downs. Haha! Anyway, how do you see an immediate rematch going?
November 29th, 2022 at 8:42 PM ^
Hard pass.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:43 PM ^
I would guess Ohio State would have Michigan PTSD if they gave up another big play and it would be smooth sailing afterwards. I don't want to see Ohio State in the playoff, they don't deserve it and I'm confident Michigan would win again.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:43 PM ^
This will be more of a reality when CFB goes to a 12 team playoff format. Still a possibility this year, but I hope not! I'm a traditionalist, not the down in front kind. More in the sense of, I believe there are so many CFB teams that you should never have to play a rival twice in a year. This works for the NFL, but not CFB.
November 30th, 2022 at 3:12 AM ^
There might be some fanbases who would like to see home and home games against their rivals, especially if the conference title is not at stake; but not Michigan and Ohio State.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:45 PM ^
No. We beat them. Convincingly. Michigan doesn't need to play them again, and doesn't need the risks of something crazy changing the result in a more crucial moment.
Our win Saturday becomes all the more satisfying if it does, in fact, keep them out of the playoff. That is absolutely right for college football. They want to make the playoff? They need to win. They've had plenty of opportunities, plenty of playoff berths. They want to play cover-0 and run around scared in their own home? Sorry. Enjoy another Rose Bowl.
We won. They lost. I want Georgia.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:48 PM ^
Nope.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:52 PM ^
Yeah, I’d much rather beat the best SEC team. I live in Kentucky though and SEC fans (whatever that means) don’t think real football is played in other conferences
November 29th, 2022 at 9:42 PM ^
Always humorous to me the fans of programs in the SEC that haven't won anything trying to make themselves feel better with the accomplishments of teams that aren't even their own. It's pathetic honestly.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:53 PM ^
We'd likely have Corum back, and would have seen their adjustments, and their whole playbook by then. In Minter we trust.
November 30th, 2022 at 12:12 AM ^
I'm not a fan of a rematch but this point right here is the biggest confidence boost for me. In order to beat Georgia they absolutely would have to empty the tank and show everything they have. In order to beat TCU I don't feel we would have to do the same. So we could put a few wrinkles in during the bowl practices and have them ready for the natty.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:54 PM ^
Win, get the “privilege” of playing a 13th gave vs a top opponent. Lose that game and a team that got curb stomped by 22 point AT HOME gets your spot. Sounds fair.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:54 PM ^
I do not want to play JSN and Harrison in the playoffs
November 29th, 2022 at 8:55 PM ^
No! Hard to beat a good to very good team 3 in a row. Any benefits from the last two regular season wins would be destroyed. Rooting hard for USC and TCU.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:56 PM ^
As Sean Connery said in Dr. No, "That‘s a Smith & Wesson and you’ve had your six."
No, don’t want to see them again. They’ve already seen our bag of tricks and will be better prepared next time if we don’t have Corum back at full speed. Let it stew with them for a full year and cause misery. Losing The Game should have consequences. It did for us in 2006.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:56 PM ^
Bring it. I don't give a fuck who we play
November 29th, 2022 at 8:59 PM ^
I'd prefer TCU in the 1st round, not a mobile QB like USC & not full of NFL talent like UGA.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:57 PM ^
With the shift towards an expanded playoff, Michigan and Ohio State meeting in the postseason is going to greatly increase in likelihood. Let that happen as it comes. As it stands now, I have no desire to see Ohio State in the playoff.
In the current format, last weekend was a playoff game. Ohio State should be eliminated.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:57 PM ^
Ohio State getting in would punish either TCU or USC for having to play in a championship game against a ranked team at a neutral field.
November 29th, 2022 at 8:59 PM ^
i want nothing good for them for decades. i want them to go to the football equivalent of the dentist, without novocain, and get a 20 yr root canal. so no, no CFP, no second bite at the apple, they'll get nothing and like it.
November 29th, 2022 at 9:07 PM ^
@XM - Mt 1822
+1 for reference to Judge Smails and his nephew Spalding.
November 29th, 2022 at 9:01 PM ^
I would love to play osu again.
November 29th, 2022 at 9:04 PM ^
Politely no.
The build up next year to when the Buckeyes will have to come up north into the cold, rain, sleet and snow and face another powerful Michigan team is worth the wait.
November 29th, 2022 at 9:16 PM ^
Weird fantasy. Why would we want to play them again? I would rather we play Georgia in NC and beat them. That would write a greater narrative than beating OSU again
November 29th, 2022 at 9:18 PM ^
No. Let them stew on this, feel dejected, and lose a bowl game like Michigan has done several times in the past...
November 29th, 2022 at 9:19 PM ^
Would love to play them with a healthy Corum and Morris.
November 29th, 2022 at 9:21 PM ^
I don't mind it if it is in the CFP National Championship Game. I do have an issue with it if it is in the semifinal. I think it is a disadvantage to Michigan, and we earned the right to avoid the rematch in the semifinal (especially if they win the Big Ten title). If both teams earn their way to the Final, game on.
Even the NCAA Basketball Tournament has guidelines on when teams who played each other in the regular season can meet in the tournament, and I think something like that should be added to the CFP seeding criteria when the playoff is expanded.
As for a potential rematch, I think OSU is the team that would have everything to lose. OSU is on paper the better team and would be expected to win (Ed Feng on Twitter said some in Vegas would have OSU favored -2 on a neutral field today). Michigan has already earned the win in The Game in their house, won the Big Ten East title (and hopefully the Big Ten this Saturday), and took the Heisman from Stroud. That won't be erased even with a loss in a potential rematch while beating them twice would be an opportunity for all-time own like UNC did to Coach K earlier this year.
November 29th, 2022 at 9:23 PM ^
I think we'd beat them again, especially with a healthy Corum. But it's not a lock - OSU did win 11 games - and I don't want to give them any opening. I'm fine with them stewing over 42-27 and 45-23 for another year.
November 29th, 2022 at 9:25 PM ^
We would be that much healthier. Would love to see Blake and Donovan grind them down with our A Team, 5 yards a pop.
November 29th, 2022 at 9:26 PM ^
Natty Ice or Natty Light?
Hard pass on both.
November 29th, 2022 at 9:26 PM ^
Absolutely not. I want a whole year to savor what we did on Saturday.
November 29th, 2022 at 9:30 PM ^
In the words of Ace Ventura:
No, spank you.
Yes, it would be amazing to beat them for a natty, and would easily make up for the last twenty years. But if we lost…..hoo boy that would take at least a decade for the program to live that down.
November 29th, 2022 at 9:41 PM ^
Not just no, but FUCK NO. If the 12 team playoff happens it happens. Until then The Game is The Game and no one should be getting second chances. There would be almost nothing to gain from the rivalry standpoint by winning again, but if Michigan were to lose, that would forever put the proverbial asterisk on the beatdown in Columbus. No thanks. Hopefully everyone takes care of business this weekend and OSU can fuck right off.
November 29th, 2022 at 9:48 PM ^
No thanks, sample size in college football is too low already. Boring to play same team twice.
November 29th, 2022 at 10:25 PM ^
I'm good with 45-23 at the Shoe.
November 29th, 2022 at 10:32 PM ^
FUCK no
November 29th, 2022 at 10:37 PM ^
No and it's a joke that they're ranked at 5 and ahead of Bama. They don't deserve this because we already beat them. Playing them again will devalue The Game, whether or not we beat them again. Plus Ryan Day might be coaching for his job in that game. No thanks.
November 29th, 2022 at 10:54 PM ^
This is what I would like to see but it likely won't happen and I am FINE with it.
OSU gets in at #4 because Utah beats USC. UGA naturally beats LSU by a bunch and they remain #1. We beat Purdue by a bunch and remain #2. TCU wins and remains #3. OSU gets beaten by UGA in the semi-final. We beat TCU. Then we beat the team that beat OSU to win the national championship.
It's a win-win-win. The B1G gets two teams into the CFP which is good for the conference. And OSU loses on the big stage to the team we beat to win the NC, on the big stage. Win win win.
November 29th, 2022 at 11:34 PM ^
Ooh... I like this!
November 29th, 2022 at 11:18 PM ^
I think there is a strong possibility Day would be fired if he lost again so soon. He'd probably stop calling timid plays on offense and realize his job is on the line.
November 29th, 2022 at 11:34 PM ^
No-one who wins the OSU-Michigan game wants a rematch a month later. Those bragging rights were won for 12 months.
November 29th, 2022 at 11:42 PM ^
I don't want to see them in the playoffs. We've already beaten them. We shouldn't have to do it again.
November 29th, 2022 at 11:42 PM ^
I do NOT want to face OSU again either in December 2022 or January 2023.
I think they are the toughest team in the mix and I don't want to take a chance. In fact, I just read that they would be a 2.5 to 3 point favorite in any match-up. I know, I know . . . they were an 8-point favorite last week and that didn't help them. Nevertheless, how many times have we seen (like GA and Alabama last year) one team win one week and get beat a few weeks later)?
Hard pass.
November 30th, 2022 at 12:03 AM ^
Not quite accurate, at least according to this source:
https://twitter.com/Brett_McMurphy/status/1597749225294794753?s=20&t=J0…
Basically
Georgia - favorites for every potential matchup vs UM, TCU, USC and OSU
Michigan - favorites against TCU and USC, pick em vs. OSU, underdog against UGA
TCU - favorites against USC, underdog against UGA, UM, OSU
OSU - favorites against TCU and USC, pick em vs. UM, underdog against UGA
While UM/OSU is a pick em, if you compare their spreads vs. OSUs, they see UM as a very slight favorite since they are 1/2 point better than OSU in those comparisons.
November 29th, 2022 at 11:49 PM ^
Even if OSU sneaks into the playoffs, they would lose to GA in the semis. Simply put, they are not that good of a team.
November 29th, 2022 at 11:59 PM ^
There's certainly scenarios where we could be pitched against them in the semifinal. If Georgia lost to LSU and we won, USC lost, TCU won. There would be like no argument to make OSU #2 or #3 really, so they'd be #4, but you really would have to put Michigan at #1.
I don't think the committee would at all try to avoid the rematch in the semifinal. With the SEC teams they wanted to avoid the rematch because they were convinced they were the best teams anyway and wanted to put them in the Final against each other, they're not going to feel that way about Michigan and OSU. Added bonus, they could then point to this as evidence that a potential rematch in the semifinal doesn't affect their rankings at all, without it affecting their favored SEC children.
November 30th, 2022 at 5:51 AM ^
I don’t think so, but who the hell knows. I personally wouldn’t mind seeing OSU be matched up with Georgia in round 1. Even though it’d be bullshit that they set home and nurse injuries while we gotta risk our own. I think the committees thoughts would be that they’d get to see the sec darling beat the big tens best teams back to back. I do think OSU would give Georgia a game and wear them down for the championship.
November 29th, 2022 at 11:58 PM ^
No I don't want a rematch. Hell no. I was promised 365 days of fun, not 5 weeks.
November 30th, 2022 at 12:25 AM ^
No. They don’t deserve it. I want them to go to a big bowl and lose. But not the playoffs
November 30th, 2022 at 12:30 AM ^
I'm hoping that Michigan gets to play Georgia in the 2nd round since they beat us last year.
In the 1st round, I'd rather see Michigan play a team we haven't played yet. That would be more interesting.
Same for the Big 10 championship. I like that it's Purdue instead of a team we already played.