Although Ohio State claimed its first national title in a decade this past season, it wasn’t enough to restore the school’s popularity among college football fans.
According to CBS Sports analyst Josh Pate, it’s better for the Buckeyes to be hated rather than loved.
“The reason I think enough people nationally hate Ohio State is because they win, obviously,” Pate said. “But also, I gathered through my correspondence with my audience, that everyone respected the run they just made in the playoff, but not everyone respected that they lost two games and then still got that shot. A lot of people viewed Ohio State as this huge beneficiary of the new format, which they were, but I don’t hate them for that. A lot of you do hate them for that.”
Pate quickly denied the notion the Buckeyes’ $20 million NIL roster was gift-wrapped for them to eventually go all the way in the first year of the expanded College Football Playoff format, defeating Notre Dame 34-23.
“Yeah, I put Ohio State up there too because they made a run, they won a title,” Pate added. “You got folks out there, and this part of the argument I don’t buy into, but there are a bunch of folks who say, ‘Well, I could win a title if I bought a class.’ Yeah, you couldn’t. And they didn’t in that way. In the way that’s suggested, they didn’t.”
Regardless of how one feels about the Buckeyes and coach Ryan Day moving forward, their excellence cannot be overshadowed. Entering this fall, they attempt to remain the hunted in their quest for a repeat championship bid.
Ohio State’s journey begins with a Cotton Bowl rematch against Texas to kickoff a loaded opening weekend in Columbus, Ohio.
For now, whether the Buckeyes can flip the script to become beloved remains unanswered. To Pate’s points above, the Buckeyes could care less, nor should they. At the end of it all, they are just as much of a college football brand than anything.
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