Welcome to Glass Slipper! I may or may not have shed a tear watching Ryan Day chuck that headset; please enjoy the show.

- Jacob Rhee

Here are my 10 biggest takeaways from the college football national championship game.

1. You are my sunshine.

LeBron James wearing Scarlet and Gray. It’s the one visual that can always unite the entire state of Ohio. My glorious king was in the house when the Buckeyes claimed their ring in 2015, and there he was again on Monday night. Did he fly out to Tempe during his senior year of high school to see Jim Tressel lift the crystal football in 2003? I’ll make sure to ask him, if and when we meet.

2. Storybook.

There were four main people to blame for the Michigan loss. Ryan Day, Chip Kelly, Will Howard, and Jayden Fielding. It’s only fitting that this quartet of culprits was absolutely brilliant against Notre Dame.

Hey, let’s give our quarterback some more love before we move on…

3. The one.

Will Howard was ranked as the 822nd best prospect in the 2020 class. 822. If you need a reference point for how ridiculous that is, Jalen Suggs - yes, the basketball player - was 508 spots higher on that list.

When Howard pops up at our 2032 season opener at the Shoe, your first thought won’t be about his on-field results. They’ll show him on the big screen, and you’ll immediately remember that competitive juice. The run-through-a-wall excitement in his voice during press conferences. Unleashing screams after touchdown passes. Begging the crowd for noise. There hasn’t been an Ohio State player in my lifetime who embodies the spirit of college football quite like Will.

He’s not perfect. But with the Buckeyes at rock-bottom, Howard delivered the best four-game stretch by a quarterback in school history. That’s a pretty nice legacy to leave behind.

4. Bad decisions.

Oh no, Marcus Freeman. I like you a lot, but come on. You’re better than that.

The fake punt was weird. Your offense is built to thrive in short-yardage situations. Just go empty and have Riley Leonard plunge forward for four yards. That field goal decision was even weirder. I honestly thought Marcus had done the math wrong. It was Matt LaFleur in 2021 all over again. Unfortunately, the missed kick also led to this…

5. More broadcast stupidity.

Some higher-up at the NCAA needs to sneak into the vault and dump grape juice on that TV contract with ESPN. Irish kicker Mitch Jeter clangs it off the left upright, and we get a cutaway to his dad in the stands. Are you serious? This is the same company that showed Nico Iamaleava’s parents when he got hurt in Week 8, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Is that in the mission statement? Show devastated loved ones when something bad happens to an athlete. What a joke.

6. The unsung hero.

Donovan Jackson is a dream. Like, literally a dream. An intensely likable All-American guard, who just selflessly kicked out to tackle and pitched a perfect game on the sport’s biggest stage.

If the first round of the NFL Draft passes without his name being called, I’ll riot.

7. A quick thought exercise.

I have a question for my fellow OSU supporters. Apologies in advance for making you sad. I promise it’ll be good vibes only for the remainder of the recap. The 2019 Bucks and this championship squad play in Columbus next week. Who wins?

Chase Young and the boys are taking that game. They just are. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for those dudes while watching the confetti fall two nights ago. That team deserved so much better. Alright, back to the happy stuff.

8. Ryan Day’s moment.

I went back and dug up what I wrote after the 13-10 catastrophe.

The pundits claiming that our fan base places too much value on the Michigan game are flat-out wrong. Scott Van Pelt, Rece Davis. Even Nick Saban, who coached at Ohio State. They clearly don’t understand.

But now that he brought us a ring, we all need to shut up about Ryan’s shortcomings for a while. Yes, he needs to figure out the Wolverines. Look around the country, though. I can count on one hand the number of head coaches that I truly trust. Our guy is one of them.

9. The pride and joy of Georgia.

Caleb Downs - a true sophomore - just had the best campaign by a collegiate safety in the last 13 years. Argue with the wall.

Downs and Jeremiah Smith are the only two transcendent, program-changing superstars in the nation that are returning in 2025. We have both.

10. Time to peek ahead.

Actually, no it’s not. We have all offseason to look down the road. Let’s live in the moment here. This should be a period of nothing but elation for Ohio State fans.

Day brought it up after the game; the Buckeyes own three titles since 1971. That’s one every 17 seasons. You never know how long the wait will be until this feeling returns. Enjoy it right now.

• National Championship Game Results: 1-0

• Overall Season Picks Record: 70-29

• Final CFB Prize Pot: $435

Glass Slipper Rewards Season begins soon. :)

Pressroom

Spin It

“The Waiting” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. A decade in the making.