Gene Smith says Michigan win streak over OSU should have an asterisk

Submitted by Hensons Mobile… on May 10th, 2024 at 9:45 AM

This was posted in diaries but was removed because it's not a diary. I figured it still deserved a place on the board.

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2024/05/147104/gene-smith-believes-michigan-wins-over-ohio-state-amid-connor-stalions-scandal-should-have-asterisk-of-course-i-do

During his appearance on WOSU’s All Sides with Anna Staver on Thursday, Staver asked Smith if Ohio State’s three-game losing streak to Michigan “deserves a little bit of an asterisk since for at least two of those years, it appears they were cheating.”

Smith’s reply: “Of course I do.”

That was the headline, although it's not too surprising. I found this more interesting:

“I think people’s expectation of what the NCAA might do relative to penalties were probably too high, because everyone was upset and there was just visceral comments around it,” Smith said. “I won’t comment too much about what I feel, because I don’t want to disparage, but at the end of the day, violations occurred and penalties have been levied and will be levied, and we just have to live with them.”

Sounds to me like he's trying to brace people for minor penalties.

Also this:

"We host that team up north this fall,” Smith said. “And I’m assuming it’ll be what it’s always been (in terms of intensity). But the last time that we had the level of interest in that game was 2006, 1 vs. 2.

He thinks 2024 will have more interest and anticipation than 2023? Maybe he just means for a game in Columbus. But even then, I still think 2016 and 2018 will be tough to beat in terms of anticipation, especially since the stakes will never be the same with the mega-conference and expanded playoffs.

RockinLoud

May 10th, 2024 at 9:51 AM ^

If that's the case, then every single one of Urban Meyer and Jim Tressel's wins over UM should have an asterisk. "Rules for thee but not for me" in full effect here.

njvictor

May 10th, 2024 at 10:13 AM ^

Hearing fans of schools like OSU, Bama, UGA, etc. talk about us having a tainted or illegitimate Natty as if they haven't been fans of schools that have cheated their way to relevancy for the past 2 decades will never not amuse me. They have zero self awareness

Vasav

May 10th, 2024 at 12:22 PM ^

Honestly i thought we werent going to do it without Blake. I was prepped to say 'great season, great run, get them next year.'

Penn St that year made me realize we were elite. But that game made me realize just how deep and developed this program was. Going into the shoe and winning by 3 TDs? To a team that played the eventual national champ to within a point in their home state? Oh and also - its not allegations, it has been proven and reported that they did, in fact, have (and shared) our signs.

Whatever the NCAA wants to do, OSU lost and then made up a scandal to try to justify it and then still lost again to the best big ten team ever. They're still making excuses. I hope they keep making excuses that we keep batting away. There will be hype for that game. Our program has proven they dont flinch when it gets hot. Ryan Day's program has repeatedly choked in these moments. I cant wait to beat their ass in their house...again. 

HouseHarbaugh

May 10th, 2024 at 1:38 PM ^

Day even said after the Stalions thing broke that he suspected Michigan had their signs in the 2021 game, so he completely changed them ahead of 2022. And their defensive scheme in that game was nearly identical to the scheme Don Brown used to run when Meyer and Day embarrassed him. 

Johnny Blood

May 10th, 2024 at 9:52 AM ^

Gene Smith is an ass.

I met him once at a golf club in Columbus.  He took my Michigan hat off my head and shoved it in my chest, telling me that I couldn't wear it there.  

Needless to say, I put it back on.

Romeo50

May 10th, 2024 at 9:55 AM ^

*ene  *mith? Presiding over fake classes, performance enhancing drugs and illegal payments to recruits should have its own asterisk, right  *ene? 

 I don’t recognize you.

Casco Goat

May 10th, 2024 at 9:57 AM ^

Realistically.... this is dumb. The accusations are dumb, their fans are dumb, the idea for repercussions like this are dumb. A) They're never ever going to do something like an asterisk, B) Even if they did most people wouldn't care (or possibly even be aware of it), and C) even if everyone in the universe was fully aware of it, it won't remove the feeling I got watching the 2021 game. 

rjc

May 10th, 2024 at 10:10 AM ^

Then everybody had to open their mouth with a motherfuckin' opinion
Well this is how we gon' do this
Fuck Gene Smith, fuck Ryan Day
Fuck OSU as a staff, fanbase and as a motherfuckin' crew
And if you want to be down with OSU, then fuck you too

Bill22

May 11th, 2024 at 8:59 AM ^

Love it!

when ya talk about sprayin me, the same records that ya makin' is payin me
Mothafuck Dre
Mothafuck Snoop
Mothafuck Death Row
Yo, and here comes me left blow
cause i'm the E-A-Z-Y-E, and this is the season to let the Real mothafuckin G's in!

PopeLando

May 10th, 2024 at 10:17 AM ^

Love the leading questions:

“So do think that those cheating cheaters, who deliberately cheated and whose success is solely due to cheating, cheated?”

“…yes”

“And do you think that their invalid success, which, as you just confirmed, was solely due to cheating, and wouldn’t have happened if they weren’t cheating…is invalid?”

“…yes”

rjc

May 10th, 2024 at 10:35 AM ^

Speaking of bulletin board material, this seems relevant... LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson torched Chip Kelly on their podcast yesterday.

“I never had a coach who was scared – not even scared – I’ll say uncomfortable around Black players,” McCoy said about Kelly. “Let’s not hide it, right? Most of the players are black. The NFL is dominated by Black players.”

“He never really approached me, and was never a disciplinarian,” said Jackson on Kelly. “He would talk to me, and it was like he was scared of me… I respect certain coaches, and when you get my respect, I will run through a brick wall for you… that’s the love that you build with a coach. With Chip Kelly, I never felt that love, because he always was scared of me. How can I respect you if I feel like you’re scared of me? You never voice your opinion with me, you always ran around it.”

MacGyver

May 10th, 2024 at 10:32 AM ^

I was at The Game in Columbus for all years from 2004 through 2022. I agree with him about 2006. 2022 was close for me as a Michigan fan but I think most OSU fans viewed 2021 as a aberration and were overly confident about the 2022 Buckeyes similar to how I felt about the 2018 Wolverines. 2006 was extraordinarily high excitement and anticipation for both sides.