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OS Debates: Should Penn Staters Root For Notre Dame Or Ohio State In The National Championship?

It’s an outcome no sane Penn State fan wants: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State for the national championship. Unfortunately, one must win.

Notre Dame took down Penn State in the College Football Playoff semifinal last week, while Ohio State has gotten the better of the Nittany Lions for nearly a decade. Two of our staffers debated which one Penn State fans should root for.

Nolan Wick: Support N*tr* D*m*

For the record, I’m not rooting for Notre Dame. I’m rooting against Ohio State.

I’m not a fan, but I admire Notre Dame from afar. The gold helmets are unique, the coach is likable, and the program is steeped in rich history and tradition. Last week marked the first time the Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish played each other since 2007, a time when I wasn’t affiliated with Penn State. I never had a legitimate reason to dislike them.

However, my admiration of Notre Dame has taken a big hit since the Orange Bowl. Its victory ended my two-year stint on Onward State’s football beat, which was agonizingly close to getting one final game on the nation’s biggest stage (I’ll save the sappy part for my senior column in May). From a fan’s perspective, that game’s outcome is among the worst sports losses of my life. It’ll take me a long time to get over it. I’m sure many of you resonate with that.

It won’t be nice to watch the team that broke all our hearts last week triumph in the glory of a national championship. I get it. But do you know what would be worse? Watching the team that’s tormented us for nearly a decade experience that.

Ohio State is, in my opinion, the most pretentious non-pretentious university in America. It’s fun seeing its football program and fanbase get a taste of what it’s like to lose to a school you hate every single year in Michigan, just like Penn State consistently loses to Ohio State. It’s enjoyable reading Buckeye fans’ calls for Ryan Day’s firing year after year and watching them come down to earth. The bottom line is it’s damn nice seeing them humbled and their egos held in check. A national title would erase all of that.

Although it’s recently been one-sided, Penn State shares a much bigger rivalry with Ohio State because of the Big Ten and geographic proximity. It was bad enough when Michigan cheated won a ring last year. Let’s root against a conference rival doing it for a second consecutive season.

Additionally, Penn State’s loss looks much better if Notre Dame wins. Personally, having lost a close one to the national champions in the semifinal lessens the sting. This comes down to which team I’d rather live with winning from a Penn State perspective, and Notre Dame is the easy answer.

Fernando Martinez Ruiz De Esparza: Root For Ohio State

Let me make myself clear before I start writing my arguments: I hate Ohio State so much, and I can’t stand it. However, we should root for Ohio State in the national championship despite our hatred of it.

First off, Ohio State winning the national championship would solidify the Big Ten conference as the best conference in college football. After a long time of SEC bias, it’s time for the Big Ten to be recognized as the best conference in college football instead of some independent team from Indiana.

Let’s not forget about the guidelines regarding the prize money, too. In this new playoff format, schools in a conference are not allowed to keep the prize money for themselves and must split it with their conferences unless they are independent. For that reason, Notre Dame has earned a $20 million payout for its run to the national championship, unlike Ohio State, which must give $10 million of the $20 million to the Big Ten, which then decides how to allocate the funds among the members of the conference. That means that Ohio State’s success benefits Penn State financially.

This is huge because it would allow Penn State to make improvements to facilities and player resources. In a college football world dominated by NIL, Penn State could use every cent of that money to improve its football program. For that reason, we must root for Ohio State to win so Penn State can earn some of that prize money, and it will not be all given to Notre Dame.

I think my point is clear. Ohio State winning would be a financial benefit to Penn State and establish the Big Ten as the best conference. Also, after Notre Dame beat us and brought heartbreak to all of us, I want them to get a taste of their own medicine.

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About the Author

Staff

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