Ohio State Football: Storylines Surrounding Week 1 Matchups

Ohio State comes into Saturday’s matchup in Columbus against No. 5 Notre Dame with self-proclaimed championship or bust expectations and justifying by the odds in Vegas, most everyone would agree. For the most part, the team has stayed healthy and avoided any major loss through the off-season. 

However, week zero brought about some very intriguing headlines. Jim Harbaugh stated that his QB competition was “biblical.” Yes, you read that right. What makes it even more interesting is that he will let each QB start one of the first two game. So it would appear that he is using regular season games against Colorado State and Hawaii as evaluations. Keep in mind both JJ McCarthy and Cade McNamara were on the team last year, saw regular playing time, and of course practiced all spring/summer.

On to the gift that keeps on giving when nobody asked: Desmond Howard. I’m sure many of you saw the same photo that I saw of Desmond’s snide little grin as the playoff prediction graphic of Michigan, Pitt, Baylor and Texas A&M. At this point this man is a parody but somehow he’s held a job at one of the most prestigious sports shows to ever exist.

He does not critically think about his picks, and I know this because: Pitt just thought Kenny Pickett to the draft and All-American Jordan Addison to the portal. They weren’t even close to a playoff team even with those two players. Michigan lost a HAUL to the draft and graduation last year, and as I mentioned earlier Harbaugh will not let go of his love triangle at QB. Texas A&M will surely have the talent to make a run, but that’s been the case for a few years now.

It is possible to see the Aggies make the jump, but with a loaded Alabama team once again headlining the SEC West, nobody is their right mind could believe they will at this very moment. Baylor… I’ll give you that one. The Big 12 is always knocking on the door with the lackluster nature of the PAC-12, so this pick could happen. Regardless, Desmond reaffirmed his status as someone who isn’t to be taken seriously.

Scott Frost. What is there left to say. Game one, big expectations, a winnable conference game, a second half lead…. And you know the rest. Whether Nebraska bounces back from this or not is to be seen, but there has to be trouble brewing Lincoln already.

Marcus Freeman has made it known multiple times that he is grateful for his time at Ohio State, but then turned around and made comments that would suggest otherwise. Freeman seems to be relishing in the fact that he either didn’t take a job at OSU or wasn’t offered. This has been followed up by him hearing that the Irish were +17.5 dogs in Columbus and stating that he would make sure that was “known in the locker room.”

Meanwhile, Ryan Day has been a quiet and confident force with obvious revenge on his mind. When this man steps on a football field, he is cold. He is calculated. He is ruthless. We simply cannot wait to see what he unleashes.