December 31, 2025 | Edition #126
Despite the playoff battle in a few hours, the year has to end in gratitude. This newsletter was borne out of passion and love for the Buckeyes and what they stand for in the community and as a model for other winning sports teams.
We put out 125 editions which were opened over half a million times by all of our readers. Because ultimately it is all about you, the reader. Getting you the best information that separates us from the bandwagon fans.
This edition is a look back at what stood out for all of you. Which stories captured your fascination the most. Which stars dominated the Buckeyes charts. All of that and more as we close out this chapter and start another. And what a way to start than by beating Carson Beck and the Miami Hurricanes. The natty will be ours again!
Not a lot of surprises at the top. Everything flows down from Coach Day. He is the architect and the leader. The team runs in his image and philosophy. Someone else in his position would have let all of that influence get to his head. But not Ryan Day. He has come from the trenches. Nothing was ever handed to him and that’s why he continues to be the most read about Buckeye.
Then come the stars. Both Jeremiah and Julian lit up the scoreboards and their opponents. It must not be forgotten that Ohio State was number 1 in the AP Poll throughout the entire regular season, except for the end. But we don’t talk about that.
Our favorite alumni and our best coordinator round up the list. Although some might argue Matt Patricia should have been here as well. But that is the curse of coaching defense.
Lot of twists and turns in this regular season. But nothing came close to the catharsis felt by all of us after watching Coach Day beat the curse against that team up north.
Injury concerns that had all of us worried about the future. This team needed both of its star receivers healthy to ensure our season was safe. Also, Julian Sayin could have won the Heisman had we just beaten Indiana in the title game. It was closer than people like to admit. But Sayin was too efficient for his own good. He never had to have a game saving drive against the shell of a Penn State team.
Not all stories need to be about sudden changes. Sometimes it is about understanding the lore. The history and the context. It makes us better fans the more we know about the personalities behind our favorite athletes and coaches. But as usual, THE GAME dominated over it all.
But we also had stories about other teams that caught our fancy. Florida is an interesting place after all and Urban Meyer’s saga with the gators rarely covered how his family held up with it. We even went back to see how Will Howard was actually pushed to the limit to get the best out of him.
This is the most fun section for us. We got to hear from all of the Buckeye fandom that reads this. It was so interesting to see which questions had us all invested and sharing our thoughts. A flag planting at Michigan had everyone giving out their opinions. At the end of the day it was good we didn’t emulate that team up north in anything.
Julian Sayin was the main factor though. The young freshman suddenly thrust into the fray. He beat out all of our wildest expectations. This was his coming out party. And we were all here to see every second of it.
The next chapter will start with a daunting set of playoffs along with portal madness. As fans we want to have faith that Ryan Day will take us to the very end and we will be champions again. But after January, the offseason officially starts. Here is what all you can look forward to:
1. Budding Rivalries
Who knew Indiana could become such instant opponents. Miami as well, with all of their useless chatter. It’s a new world. That team up north has actually redeemed themselves and somehow fell backwards into a great leader in Whittingham. The rivalries are only going to get better.
2. Extensive Game Coverage
This is ultimately a sport of numbers and yards. The technicalities matter. We are not going to shy away from more in depth pieces that go further into the philosophy behind each team’s game plan. Deeper research for hardcore fans.
3. NIL Chaos
The NIL is not going anywhere. But it has wreaked havoc on our sport. For better or worse, that is yet to be judged. But nothing is stable yet and we will continue following the line to see where the NCAA ends up. This sport needs to figure out how the money fits into it.
4. Cutting Through Chatter
There are too many claims all over sports media. We aim to be an oasis where the information is true first and interesting second. You, the reader, will get the news without the unnecessary chatter.
5. The Pro Angle
College football is getting closer and closer to the NFL. Players back in the day used to wait for the first moment to jump and go pro. But now we have long drawn out battles for an extra year of eligibility. The relationship between the two sports has never been more in flux than it is now.
This is the end of one saga and tomorrow will be the start of another. We will see you all on the other side. Go Bucks!!
