A series of mistakes and some coaching decisions that will live in Iron Bowl infamy give Auburn the top spot in the final Misery Index of 2021, a weekly measurement of knee-jerk reactions based on what each fan base just watched.
FOUR MORE IN MISERY
Ohio State: It would be hard to have more confidence in anything on Earth than Buckeyes fans about the matchup with Michigan. The rivalry — if you could call it that — had become so predictable, so one-sided and so non-threatening over the last decade that it was hard to blame them for thinking this would go on forever. Or at least as long as Jim Harbaugh was on the other sideline.
And this year, in particular, Ohio State fans thought their team had a real shot to win the national title. The defense had been improving throughout the season. Quarterback C.J. Stroud was clicking toward a Heisman Trophy. Sure, Michigan was having a cute little season, but how were they going to slow down those Buckeye receivers?
What Ohio State fans could not have envisioned was how thoroughly Michigan could flip the script on them, not just winning the game but physically dominating it 42-27 with 297 rushing yards. Though the Buckeyes theoretically had chances late to get one defensive stop and drive to tie the game, they didn’t come close to slowing Michigan down because they couldn’t win the line of scrimmage. And as a result, Ohio State isn’t going to the College Football Playoff.
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That’s not how this series is supposed to go, or how it’s gone recently when Michigan looked too slow to keep up with the Buckeyes. This time around, they made Ohio State look soft and won for the first time…
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