Life is full of spoils. Little ones and big ones. Impactful or mundane. Countless spoils come to only a few, as they are hard to come by.
In the world of sports, a good team or a meaningful win can make a difference in someone’s day or even their life. There are plenty of teams, however, that struggle to achieve victory on the smallest of levels, whether it is beating your rival or even just winning one game.
As an Ohio State fan, one thing is clear: we are spoiled beyond belief.
I could go over all the victories and championships over the last 20 years, but that would be nonessential since all the wins and championships have become ingrained in Buckeye lore.
But I’m going to do it anyway.
Since 1996, Ohio State has (takes a deep breath) a record of 230 wins and 52 loses, 2 National Championships, 11 Big Ten Championships, 2 Rose Bowls, 3 Sugar Bowls, 4 Fiesta Bowls, 15 New Year’s 6 Bowl Appearances, 11 Bowl Wins, 12 top 5 finishes, and 16 wins against Michigan.
Let’s also not forget the memorable and iconic players we have been able to witness over the past 20 years. It is truly impressive.
Players like Orlando Pace, David Boston, Antoine Winfield, Andy Katzenmoyer, Joe Germaine, Mike Doss, A.J. Hawk, Will Smith, Chris Gamble, Ted Ginn, Santonio Holmes, Antonio Pittman, Beanie Wells, Malcolm Jenkins, James Laurinaitis, Braxton Miller, John Simon, Ryan Shazier, Carlos Hyde, Ezekiel Elliott, Michael Thomas, Joey Bosa, Malik Hooker, Cardale Jones, and J.T. Barrett, to name a couple dozen or so.
Those players competed and performed in some of College Football’s greatest games, like the 1997 Rose Bowl, 2002 Michigan game, 2003 Fiesta Bowl, 2006 Michigan game, 2015 Sugar Bowl, 2016 Michigan game, and even this year’s game against Penn State.
Unfortunately, we have been so consumed with winning we are even angry or disappointed after a win because we didn’t win in style.
Many Ohio State fans view this season as a loss since the Buckeyes won’t be competing for a National Championship, and I feel sorry for them.
When you look around at other programs in college football, you realize how lucky you are to be a Buckeye. OSU isn’t looking for a coach, the Buckeyes aren’t a laughing stock for all the wrong reasons, our program isn’t in shambles, we aren’t worried about the future of Ohio State, we aren’t paranoid about beating our rival, and we aren’t hungry for a championship during a drought.
Enjoy the ride.
We are living in a golden age of Ohio State Football and one day it will be over and you will wish you cherished these days more.
The Playoffs aren’t the be all end all. If you couldn’t enjoy a win against Michigan and a Big Ten Championship because you believe all that matters is a National Championship, what’s the point of even cheering for the Scarlet and Gray?
Sometimes you’ve just gotta stop and smell the cotton.