Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith is nearing his retirement, but that hasn’t stopped him from making suggestions on how Michigan’s success should be viewed – particularly when it comes to the wins over the Buckeyes.
In a recent interview on WOSU’s “All Sides with Anna Staver,” Smith was asked if Michigan’s current win streak over Ohio State should have an “asterisk for at least two” of Michigan’s wins due to the alleged sign-stealing scandal surrounding former U-M staffer, Connor Stalions.
“Yeah, of course I do,” Smith said. “Of course I do. The rules are in place to protect the integrity of the game and try your best to create a level playing field. When those rules are violated, it affects those principles. We have to keep that in perspective.”
Smith’s assessment is certainly on par with how the rest of the OSU community copes with the lack of success against Michigan over the last three seasons. Rather than address the specific issues that have led to a three-game losing streak to the Wolverines, including a 22-point loss at home in 2022, the Buckeye faithful continue to lean on accusations of cheating as a way to soften the blow.
While there’s little doubt that at least one member of the U-M staff (Stalions) engaged in questionable activity in terms of scouting future opponents, most folks who’ve actually played the game of football have admitted that it would provide very little in the way of a completive advantage. In fact, various scouting tactics are well-known and even commonplace at all levels of football – including college football. Even so, the investigation is still ongoing and it stands to reason that the NCAA will issue some sort of punishment for Michigan in the near future, although the severity of that punishment is anybody’s guess.
As far as whether or not there will be any asterisks next to Michigan’s wins from the perfect 15-0 National Championship season, that doesn’t seem likely. In fact, NCAA President Charlie Baker said publicly that Michigan won the national championship “fair and square,” a comment that doesn’t suggest the NCAA has any intention of vacating wins. But that certainly wont change the minds of the folks in Columbus, who continue to rely on excuses and accusations to cope with the lack of success against Michigan.
The good news is that the rivalry returns to Columbus in 2024, and it’s the same scenario we’ve seen play out before. Ohio State is loaded with talent, Michigan will arrive as the underdog, and we’ll see what happens after four quarters on the football field. With Harbaugh out of the picture and Michigan breaking in a new head coach, along with replacing nearly 20 key members of the roster from 2023, it would seem that the Buckeyes, Ryan Day, and Athletic Director Gene Smith have officially run out of potential excuses if things go south in Columbus this fall.
