As the college football world knows, both Ohio State and Michigan have been fined $100,000 each following an intense postgame altercation after Michigan’s shocking 13-10 victory over the Buckeyes on Saturday in Columbus.
The clash erupted when Michigan players attempted to plant their signature Block M flag at midfield in Ohio Stadium, prompting Ohio State players to intervene, escalating the situation into a feisty scuffle.
Police eventually used pepper spray to subdue the melee.
The Wolverines’ stunning win marks their fourth consecutive victory in the storied rivalry, a feat not accomplished since the late 1980s.
The loss dropped Ohio State to a 10-2 record and cost them a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game.
While the Buckeyes should still comfortably make the expanded playoff field, there is absolutely no positives to take from the nightmare loss.
Head coach Ryan Day’s future in Columbus is under scrutiny following his 1-4 record against Michigan during his six-year tenure.
As for the midfield scuffle after the game, Day made it clear that his players are too proud to allow another team to plant their flag on their home turf.
“Yeah I don’t know all the details of it,” Day said. “But I know that these guys are looking to put a flag on our field and our guys weren’t going to let that happen.
“I’ll find out exactly what happened but this is our field and certainly we’re embarrassed at the fact we lost the game but there’s some prideful guys on our team that weren’t just going to let that happen.”
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum wasn’t too pleased with how Day handled the situation.
“This is the biggest game of the year in college football and they still can’t figure out how to win it,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show.
“Then this is a whole another special show about planting the flag, but you know Ryan Day just comes up with just this idiotic statement about, you know, we’re not going to let them do that to our field.
“Try to beat them first, okay Ryan. You won’t have to worry about that.”
Urban Meyer, Day’s predecessor, weighed in on the scuffle on The Triple Option podcast, calling for accountability on both sides.
“It’s the greatest rivalry in all of sports. Celebrate with your teammates and fans, sing the alma mater and go to the locker room. There’s no room for this on either side,” Meyer said.
In a statement, Ohio State accepted the Big Ten’s penalties and committed to reviewing its postgame procedures
“We respect the Big Ten Conference’s decision in this matter,” the statement began. “What happened post-game yesterday was unfortunate. Good sportsmanship is always important in everything we do at Ohio State.
“Moving forward, we will continue to examine and address our post-game protocols to ensure our student-athletes, coaches, visiting teams and staff safely exit the field.”
The incident drew comparisons to a similar moment in 2017 when Baker Mayfield famously planted an Oklahoma flag at midfield after a win over Ohio State.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback expressed support for flag-planting as a tradition in college football rivalries.
“College football is meant to have rivalries,” Mayfield said. “That’s like the Big 12 banning the ‘horns down’ signal. Just let the boys play.”
Despite the heartbreaking loss, Ohio State remains in strong contention for the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Entering Week 14 as the No. 2 team, the Buckeyes took a significant hit, leaving them in position to qualify for the postseason but likely without a top seed or first-round bye.
Penn State’s win over Michigan State clinched the Nittany Lions a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game against top-ranked Oregon.
With only one conference loss compared to Ohio State’s two, Penn State edged the Buckeyes out for the division title despite losing to them earlier in the season.
For Ohio State, playoff seeding will hinge on conference championship results.
Getting back to the whole flag-planting controversy … Where do you stand on the issue?
Michigan deserves all the credit in the world for beating the Buckeyes. But let’s be honest, they can’t possibly expect to plant their flag ON Ohio State’s field without facing consequences.
As Day said, his players are way too prideful to just roll over and let that happen.
Speaking of Day, what exactly does he have to do going forward to keep his job? … Would anything less than a national title mean he’s a goner???
