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Ohio State's Rolodex of excuses grows after loss to Oregon

Chris Breiler|
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

Another loss, another series of excuses from the Ohio State fan base as to why the Buckeyes couldn't get it done. This time, it came courtesy of a 32-31 loss on Saturday night against Oregon. It was a thrilling game from start to finish, but questionable play calling down the stretch ultimately cost the Buckeyes a shot at a game winning field goal in the fourth quarter. And although there are certainly some legitimate issues that Buckeye fans could point to as reasons why Ohio State took another big loss, many of them have chosen to revert to their old tricks - making excuses.

In the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, OSU QB Will Howard dropped back for a pass and attempted to put the Buckeyes in field goal position. Unable to find anyone open, Howard scrambled out of the pocket and gained 12 yards with his legs before sliding to the ground. It would have been a GREAT play if college football consisted of five quarters, but unfortunately for Howard and Ohio State it's a four quarter game.

Game over.

Not surprisingly, plenty of Buckeye faithful took to social media following the loss to blame the officials. Shocking, I know.

But this isn't a new pattern from Ohio State's fan base, one that Ryan Day recently referred to as the "standard of excellence" within college football. In fact, this is becoming an annual tradition with the folks down in Columbus. You see, Ohio State never actually loses a game. The Buckeyes either win, or the Buckeyes were cheated.

Let's take a look back at the long list of excuses we've heard from Ohio State fans, dating back to the 2019 season.

2019 vs. Clemson: The refs

2021 vs. Michigan: The weather, they were sick, and Michigan cheated

“When you take into consideration what we were going through that week preparing for the team up north and everybody kind of having a flu and things like that – of course, I don’t make excuses, but you’ve got to take that into consideration,” CJ Stroud said. “It kind of does matter."

2022 vs. Michigan: Michigan cheated

2022 vs. Georgia: The refs, Georgia cheated

2023 vs. Michigan: Michigan cheated

2024 vs. Oregon: The refs

- Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI -

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Chris Breiler
CHRIS BREILER

Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.

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