So Now What For Buckeye Fans?

Despite cries from a small handful of Ohio State fans that certain Buckeyes should quit the sport and never step foot on their beloved campus again, the team was back on the practice field on Tuesday because unlike some, they haven’t drowned in their own tears and quit on the season because of a 1-point loss on the road to a team that is now ranked second in the nation.

And rather than just hate every second of the rest of the season while they wait for the sword to fall and end their misery, the team will move on and prepare for the next game, and then the game after that, and then the game after that.

Quitting is easy. That’s why some fans tend do it at the first sign of adversity.

And that’s just the coin toss.

Fans are supposed to live and die with the Buckeyes, but too many can’t actually live with the Buckeyes and simply wait to die with them instead.

Which is no way to live.

Every goal that this Buckeye football team had before the season is still available to them. Does that mean they’ll reach those goals? No. No team is guaranteed or entitled to anything. The sooner everybody accepts that, the happier they’ll be.

If happiness was actually the goal.

This team that many profess to love but openly hate was in a hell of a fight against Oregon last Saturday and one of the reasons the Ducks came away with the win was because of 60 minutes of sustained and vocal fan support.

It’s the kind of support that the Buckeyes could use in their own home stadium, and not just when things are going well. Oregon fans were their loudest when their team needed help, and it wasn’t to tell them how much they sucked.

The Duck fans deserve a portion of Saturday night’s win, and they’re gonna take it.

Be angry. Be disappointed. But be ready to get back at it when Nebraska comes to town in a little under two weeks.

The Buckeyes are only guaranteed 12 games a year. They didn’t play well enough this past weekend to win. Issues definitely need addressed. The trends in Ryan Day’s losses are all there.

But all losses have common themes. That’s why they end up in losses.

This was just Day’s second loss against a Top 5 program that so far isn’t embroiled in a massive cheating scandal or didn’t end up winning the national title.

Not that that means anything to those who don’t want it to mean anything.

I don’t know if this Ohio State team is going to win it all, but until they don’t, go all in.

What’s the worst that can happen? The team lives up to your lowered expectations?

I know I’m speaking to a vocal minority here. I could have just spit all of these words out on Twitter and reached my intended audience. But I promise you, everybody involved in the Ohio State football program wants everything that you want, and they want it more.

Yes, the players and coaches need to perform better in big games. But this year’s team has only played in one and they know where they’ve fallen short. Outside of back-to-back carries that netted 70 yards, Buckeye tailbacks TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins averaged two yards per carry against Oregon.

That’s not good enough. It won’t be good enough the next time they meet.

The Ohio State defense gave up 496 yards of total offense and didn’t force a punt in the fourth quarter. Does it matter that Oregon only had the ball twice in the fourth quarter? Not when they scored on both of those possessions, it doesn’t.

So, yeah, the Buckeyes were exposed in a number of areas by the Ducks. Would those problems cease to exist if Ohio State had gotten the timeout with one second remaining on the clock and kicked a 46-yard game-winning field goal?

Of course not.

Would the fans be happier? Most of them.

But not all of them.

Ohio State lost a close one on the road. To some, that’s unacceptable. To the Buckeyes, the game was a grab bag of lessons that must be learned.

While some fans will wait for the other shoe to fall this season, the rest of the fan base can fill the Shoe this fall and try to be part of the solution.

Despite constant change, college football continues to be the best sport in the world.

What’s the harm in actually enjoying it while you’ve got it?

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