Ohio
First and 10: Penn State brings Ohio State, Ryan Day now-or-never game earlier than expected
US LBM Coaches Poll: Oregon steady at No. 1, Ohio State shaky in victory
The latest US LBM Coaches Poll is here is here and while there isn’t much in the way of changes, Ohio State’s shaky win against Nebraska raises questions moving forward.
Sports Pulse
The finish line hasn’t changed for the best team money can buy.
But hear me out: what if national championship or bust at Ohio State barely scratches the first week of November for embattled coach Ryan Day?
What if Ohio State’s all-in, $41 million gamble on the 2024 season ends this weekend in State College, Pennsylvania, long before the national championship game on January 20, 2025?
I don’t want to throw everything sideways before we even sniff the Michigan game, or the Big Ten championship game, or the College Football Playoff, but Ohio State and Day are staring down the barrel right now.
If Ohio State can’t beat Penn State Saturday in a top-five heavyweight game, Day won’t make it to 2025. And Ohio State will have wasted $41 million — on this season alone.
Because if Penn State beats Ohio State, the CFP resume for the Buckeyes will consist of — in a perfect, win-out, 10-victory scenario — a defeat of suddenly surging Indiana. And nothing else.
All for the cool price of a $20 million player roster, and a coaching staff with a combined salary of $21.4 million. That’s $41.4 million — $20 million for players, $10 million for Day’s annual contract, and $11.4 million for assistant coaches.
Hey kids, you too can beat Akron, Western Michigan, Northwestern and a steady diet of nothing, all for the low, low price of $41 million!
In other words, Ohio State is one loss away from a rate of return that rivals new Coke.
In all of two months.
BOWL PROJECTIONS: Oregon now No. 1 as two SEC teams join playoff
PLAYOFF CHAOS: How each conference could be headed for wild finish
2. Trust your process
The strangest part of this all-in moment at Ohio State – from the jump – was Day abandoning everything that made he and the program unique.
All in the name of beating Michigan.
No one in college football coaches quarterbacks and the passing game better than Day. No one develops offenses, and recruits elite players to those offenses, and stresses defenses quite like Day since he arrived in Columbus in 2017 as Urban Meyer’s offensive coordinator.
Before last season’s step back with Kyle McCord, Day’s quarterbacks were averaging 41 touchdown passes a season. Forty-one!
But once Michigan won three in a row in the bitter series, once the Wolverines became the last Big Ten team to win a national title, Day buckled to pressure, hired his former coach and mentor and changed the offense.
He wanted to be more physical, and wanted to run the ball and control the clock and — as crazy as this sounds — be more like Michigan. So he hired Chip Kelly away from UCLA, made him offensive coordinator and told him he wanted physicality. Period.
Then Ohio State spent millions to lure elite running back Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss, center Seth McLaughlin from Alabama and quarterback Will Howard — a willing, dangerous runner — from Kansas State.
Fast forward to last weekend’s four-point win over Nebraska in Columbus: the Buckeyes rushed for 64 yards on 31 carries. The offensive line has underachieved, and was affected earlier this month by the season-ending injury to tackle Josh Simmons.
In four Big Ten games, Ohio State is averaging 148.3 yards per game. In nine Big Ten games last season, Ohio State averaged 139.4. And now Day is talking about the need to push the ball downfield in the pass game.
Like he has done all along since 2017.
3. Ohio State’s all-in moment, The Epilogue
This isn’t just about Day and Ohio State and the pressure to win. If Ohio State can’t beat Penn State, the CFP selection committee suddenly joins the pressure-filled chat.
That means The General — real, live former Lieutenant General and CFP director Rich Clark — and his selection committee will be eyeballing Ohio State through a unique lens.
The Buckeyes are clearly one of the three most talented teams in the nation. Ohio State is a mega television brand.
Can you really have your first 12-team playoff, with all the hype and hoopla it brings, without Ohio State?
The first CFP poll is six days away, and a potential two-loss Ohio State — with losses in both of its most difficult games — would have no business in the top 12. But is there any doubt the Buckeyes will be there?
More problematic for the CFP: while a loaded SEC beats up each other over the final month of the season, while the Big 12 and ACC could each have unbeaten teams in their championship games (more on that later), Ohio State will finish the season with games against Purdue, at Northwestern, surprising Indiana (who also hasn’t beaten anyone) and underachieving Michigan.
Woof.
Ohio State can end this meltdown scenario in an all-or-nothing season by beating Penn State, which could be without starting quarterback Drew Allar (knee).
Or it could lose to the Lions, and need the CFP selection committee to save its season.
And Day’s job.
4. Contender or pretender?
We’ve reached November, and it’s now time to break out the tried and true college football argument of “who have they beaten?”
Penn State (7-0)
The good: Lions are 7-0 for the first time since 2019.
The bad: The combined record of West Virginia, Bowling Green, Kent State, Illinois, UCLA, Southern California and Wisconsin is 25-30.
Iowa State (7-0)
The good: The last time the Cyclones started a season 7-0 was 1938.
The bad: The combined record of North Dakota, Iowa, Arkansas State, Houston, Baylor, West Virginia and Central Florida is 29-27.
Indiana (7-0)
The good: Hoosiers are 8-0 for the first time since 1967.
The bad: The combined record of Florida International, Western Illinois, UCLA, Charlotte, Maryland, Northwestern, Nebraska and Washington is 26-37.
Pittsburgh (7-0)
The good: The Panthers are 7-0 for the first time since 1982.
The bad: The combined record of Kent State, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Youngstown State, North Carolina, California and Syracuse is 25-31.
Clemson (6-1)
The good: Won six in a row since a Week 1 blowout loss to Georgia.
The bad: The combined record of Appalachian State, North Carolina State, Stanford, Florida State, Wake Forest and Virginia is 19-29.
5. The Weekly Five
The five most impactful games of November.
1. Tennessee at Georgia, Nov. 16.
2. Ohio State at Penn State, Nov. 2.
3. Texas at Texas A&M, Nov. 30
4. Kansas State at Iowa State, Nov. 30
5. Clemson at Pittsburgh, Nov. 16
6. An NFL scout’s take on East Carolina CB Shavon Revel Jr.
An NFL scout analyzes a draft eligible player. The scout requested anonymity to protect the team’s draft preparation.
“You’ve got a unique situation. He tore his ACL in September, and will be probably a couple of months from a full recovery during the draft. Before the injury, you could make the argument that he was the best cornerback in the draft. He’s 6-feet-3 and long and physical. He’s a flat-out burner. Everyone heals differently, and every ACL injury is different. How early in the first round do you take him? You might see someone take him in the first 16 picks. He’s that talented when completely healthy.”
7. Power Play: Notre Dame enters the field
This week’s CFP power poll and four on the outside, and one big thing.
1. Georgia: How many teams can go on the road and play the No.1 team, throw three interceptions, and win by 15? A hint: one.
2. Oregon: This Michigan game could get dicey if the Wolverines can slow tempo with its power-run game.
3. Miami: The final month: Duke, at Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, at Syracuse. If Canes aren’t 12-0, something has gone very wrong.
4. Brigham Young: Two week to prepare for the Holy War against the worst Utah team since the early 2000s.
5. Ohio State: Beat Penn State, and likely get another shot at Oregon in the Big Ten championship game.
6. Texas: Open week gives QB Quinn Ewers more time to completely heal from core injury.
7. Penn State: Oregon beat Ohio State with an efficient pass game. That might be a problem for Penn State, with or without injured QB Drew Allar.
8. Tennessee: Get better in the pass game against Kentucky and Mississippi State — to get ready for Georgia.
9. Texas A&M: A dangerous spot this week at South Carolina, which can rush the quarterback and hurry decisions (see: turnovers).
10. Notre Dame: No other way to say it: can’t lose again and reach the CFP.
11. Indiana: A dangerous spot for the Hoosiers on the road against improving Michigan State.
12. Boise State: One of CFB’s overlooked and critical players: QB Maddux Madsen, all 5-feet-10 of him.
13. Iowa State: When QB Behren Morton is on, Texas Tech is as dangerous as any team in the Big 12.
14. Clemson: We’ll have a better idea of Clemson (and Miami) after Louisville rolls into Death Valley.
15. Kansas State: Wildcats don’t necessarily do anything really well, but are 3-0 in one-possession games.
16. Pittsburgh: The goal: affect electric SMU QB Kevin Jennings. Duke did it (3 INTs), and still lost last week.
8. Mail bonding: Miami looks like Michigan, circa 2021
Matt: Do we really know how good Miami is? Will we know even if they’re 13-0 after running through the ACC? — David Drake, Orlando.
David:
Miami looks a lot like 2021 Michigan: a young and talented team figuring out a championship run for the first time in years. It doesn’t mean the Canes play like Michigan (they don’t), but it does mean they can cause problems for anyone.
That Michigan team lost a game in late October, and hadn’t beaten a ranked team until the last game of the regular season when it finally broke an eight-game losing streak to Ohio State.
The difference between that young Michigan team and Miami: Canes quarterback Cam Ward. He’s so dynamic and such problem for defenses, he can change games with one rare throw.
Michigan had a caretaker (Cade McNamara) at the most important position on the field, and it showed in the CFP semifinal blowout loss to Georgia. With Ward, Miami won’t get blown out by anyone this season.
9. Numbers game
8. We’re not that far from having a championship Saturday where all eight power conference teams playing on the last weekend of the regular season are locks to make the CFP — win or lose.
But all four conference championship games in the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 would still have significant impact on the 12-team CFP. Why? Seeding.
Winners earn first-round byes, and one or more losers could fall far enough in the final CFP rankings (behind at-large SEC and Big Ten teams) and not host first round games.
How’s that for a day of importance?
The narrative that championship games will lose drama with the 12-team field isn’t remotely a reality. If anything, they’ve become the football version of conference basketball tournaments that lead to overall NCAA tournament seeding ― and the sweet symphony of controversy.
10. The last word: Army’s CFP hopes
If you think Florida State had an argument to play in last year’s CFP, wait and see the angst if Army is 13-0 and American Conference champions.
The Cadets would be unbeaten in a less competitive conference than Boise State, and would have a better win (vs. Notre Dame) than the Broncos.
But watch the CFP poll closely. Boise State will be the highest-ranked Group of Five team in next Tuesday’s first poll of the season. Army, whose combined opponent record is 18-35, will more than likely be the second — but much lower.
All it will take is a win over Notre Dame in Yankee Stadium on Nov. 23 to move Army to the No.12 position in the CFP poll — no matter what Boise State does.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.
The Cleveland Browns broke ground on Thursday for their $2.6 billion domed stadium project in Brook Park, which is set to open for the 2029 NFL season. Gov. Mike DeWine joined team owner Jimmy Haslam, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and others to celebrate construction on the project, which actually began last month.
The three shared the stage at the groundbreaking to take questions about the project. Haslam said he sat down with DeWine’s team two years ago to talk through what the state’s role might be in funding the project.
“I’ll be quite honest, my goal was to be supportive of this and do what we could at the state level because we needed state money. But you also have the Haslam organization putting a ton of money into this thing as well, and that’s sometimes something that is forgotten,” DeWine said. “The state for the last 30 to 35, 40 years has participated in in the building of new stadiums, new ballparks. We’ve also participated in renovations. We were as clear we’re going to do that, and it’s the right thing for us to do.”
The state kicked in $600 million toward the stadium through the budget signed last year, with the Haslam Sports Group promising to repay the money over 30 years. DeWine’s initial idea had been to raise the money for the Browns’ stadium and other sports facilities projects through a tax on sports gambling operators.
“The legislature didn’t go along with that. But what they did do is they came up with another plan, and it’s a plan that also does not interfere with the money we need for education and all the other things that we want. So that’s what makes this work,” DeWine said.
Republican lawmakers replaced DeWine’s idea of taxing sports gambling companies with a plan to use unclaimed funds. Several of those lawmakers were also at the groundbreaking.
“We came up with a plan that’s going to ensure that Ohio will will continue to be number one in sports for decades and decades and decades,” DeWine said. “That money is going to be there to help not only build this stadium, it’s going to be there to help other our other sports facilities around the state.”
DeWine said the stadium project will bring jobs and economic development, and the domed facility will bring more entertainment to contribute to the quality of life in Ohio.
“We do not currently have a covered stadium in the state of Ohio. We don’t have anything like this in the state of Ohio. We needed this in the state of Ohio. It was about time. And we’re moving forward,” DeWine said. “It’s a great win for the state of Ohio.”
A state and federal court battle is holding up the transfer of $1 billion of those unclaimed funds into a sports and cultural facilities fund, to pay the $600 million pledged to the Browns and $400 million for 14 sports operations that have applied for a share of the fund. The Haslam Sports Group could pay the money during the legal fight to keep construction on track.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Ohio’s term limits are set to create turnover in state government, but as the state heads toward November elections with open seats across the top offices, many of the same political figures are positioning themselves to stay in power by moving into different roles.
In 2027, Ohio will have a new governor as Gov. Mike DeWine reaches the end of his second term. With term limits affecting multiple statewide offices, the upcoming election cycle is shaping up as a round of political musical chairs.
The Ohio Constitution mandates term limits for state officeholders such as governor and attorney general. Voters also approved term limits in 1992 for state representatives and state senators. But instead of consistently producing new faces in Columbus, the limits have often led to officeholders shifting from one position to another.
- Several prominent Republicans are already lined up for new races:
- Republican Keith Faber, term-limited as auditor, is running for attorney general.
- Frank LaRose, term-limited as secretary of state, is running for auditor.
- Robert Sprague, term-limited as treasurer, is running for secretary of state.
- Two term-limited legislators — former state Rep. Jay Edwards and term-limited state Sen. Kristina Roegner — are facing off in the primary for treasurer.
Catherine Turcer of Common Cause Ohio said the original intent behind term limits was to bring new lawmakers into the Statehouse.
“When we thought about the need for term limits, there was the sense, hey, we want to refresh the Statehouse,” Turcer said. “And that doesn’t happen when legislators go from one chamber to the other.”
Republican strategist Terry Casey said the current dynamic reflects competing voter preferences.
“The public wants people experienced, but they also want turnover and change,” Casey said. “So this is kind of an unusual quirk that hasn’t happened previously in history. But again, do you want experience or do you want fresh faces? In reality, the public wants both.”
Undated file image of voters. The next election in Ohio is Tuesday, May 5, 2026 (WSYX)
Turcer said experience can be valuable, but she argued voters also wanted to prevent long-term consolidation of political influence.
“One of the things that voters really didn’t want was the accumulation of power,” Turcer said.
She pointed to Matt Huffman as an example. Huffman served as president of the Senate, and when he was term-limited there, he ran for the Ohio House in 2024. He won and then became House speaker.
“So that’s not just jumping from one chamber to the other,” Turcer said. “That’s bringing along the political power and the long-term career that you have.”
While proposals occasionally surface to change Ohio’s term-limit rules, there are no active efforts underway, meaning the pattern of candidates moving from one office to another is likely to continue.
Hamilton County has two judicial primaries this Election Day, including one that prompted an endorsement from Afroman, an Ohio-based rapper.
Incumbent Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Chris Wagner will face defense lawyer Bill Gallagher on May 5. There is no Republican challenger, so the winner of the primary will serve as judge.
Wagner was first elected to the bench in 2020, defeating Republican former judge Curt Hartman with 58% of the vote, according to the Hamilton County Board of Elections. He cited jury service reform as one of his achievements on his campaign website and said jurors now serve half the number of days that they used to, and their pay has been increased.
He has been endorsed by the Hamilton County Democratic Party, Commissioner Denise Driehaus and Prosecutor Connie Pillich, among other county and city officials. Wagner was also endorsed by Clyde Bennett, a high-profile defense lawyer who’s represented former judge Tracie Hunter and more recently Rodney Hinton, who is charged with killing a Hamilton County sheriff’s deputy.
Gallagher is a co-founder of the Ohio Innocence Project, which has used new evidence to free or exonerate over 200 people who were imprisoned. He is the founder of Friends to the Indigent, a nonprofit organization that supports lawyers representing clients who otherwise could not afford legal representation.
County officials endorse Wagner, Afroman endorses Gallagher
Afroman, who recently won a defamation lawsuit brought by Adams County deputies, made a video endorsing Gallagher.
Afroman, which is the stage name of Joseph Foreman, sported a star-spangled shirt and sunglasses in the video and said Gallagher is all about people protesting lawfully. A campaign Facebook page for Gallagher said Afroman and Gallagher are friends.
“We don’t need somebody that’s preprogrammed, taking sides and corrupt. He’ll be a just judge, and he’ll help innocent people get out of jail,” he said.
Gallagher said in a video posted on his Facebook page that a lot of judicial candidates made promises about reform after the George Floyd protests in 2020.
“I watched some of those people uphold the promises but a couple didn’t. The one I’m running against is someone who just didn’t uphold all those promises that were made and it’s really time for a change,” he said.
Former public defender faces former judge
There is one other judicial primary this year with Democratic magistrate Sarah Henry running against former judge Glenda Smith.
Henry is a former public defender who is endorsed by the Hamilton County Democratic Party and Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio ACT.
Smith is a former judge who was appointed to the Butler County Area III Court in West Chester by then-Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland in 2008, according to her campaign website. Smith has a history of encounters with law enforcement, including police response to disputes with family members, according to previous Enquirer reporting.
The winner of that primary will face incumbent Republican Court of Common Pleas Judge Chris McDowell in November.
What’s next in the judge races
The primary election is May 5. Early voting started April 7. To check your voter registration or find your polling location, visit VoteOhio.gov.
Common pleas court candidates run in partisan primaries, though the general races are considered nonpartisan and party affiliations do not appear on the general ballot. Common pleas judges in Ohio are elected countywide to six-year terms and are paid $171,982. The judges handle felony cases, ranging from drug possession to robbery to murder, and lawsuits involving more than $15,000.
Courts reporter Kevin Grasha contributed reporting.
Regional politics reporter Erin Glynn can be reached at eglynn@enquirer.com, @ee_glynn on X and @eringlynn on Bluesky.
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