People love to hate on winners. Ohio State is a winner. Put the two together, and it’s a shotgun wedding of criticism. Add that further to the pride of OSU fans and there have been many tussles between famous personalities and Buckeye Nation.
Whether it be media members, players from other teams, or even those considered to be Ohio State alums, some villains that have surfaced over the last few years may never receive a Christmas card that’s colored scarlet and gray ever again.
Here at Buckeyes Wire, we decided to make a list of ten perceived villains that have gotten the ire of OSU fans, coaches, and players in recent memory. So here we go, in no particular order, though some will likely strike more of a chord for you than others.
Next … Friend or foe?
Kirk Herbstreit
We’ll start mildly here. It sounds funny to label a former Ohio State quarterback and alum as a villain, but that’s just what he is to some Buckeye fans. Herbstreit goes out of his way to be impartial, and some think he goes too far the other way and is too critical to a detriment. He’s got a love/hate relationship in central Ohio, but we tend to lean on him having a job to do. But make no mistake, he is an enemy to many that want to see him be a homer towards the program he played for.
Next … A head coach with a scowl
Nick Saban
While Saban is in the SEC beating up on the competition in sweet tea and grits country, he has often been seen as an arch-enemy of Ohio State with both teams running parallel in a lot of years. Many OSU fans loathe his perceived arrogance and forever scowl, and nothing was sweeter than beating the Saban led Tide in January of 2015.
Next … Benedict Arnold?
Tom Herman
Herman was once seen as a hero in Columbus because of his splash on the scene as offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer. He was instrumental in molding an Ohio State offense that helped bring home a national championship in 2014. Since he left though and eventually became the head coach at Texas, there have been rumors of him having bad blood against Ohio State in recruiting circles, and there are also rumors that his relationship with Urban Meyer and Zach Smith became frayed and led somehow to the domestic abuse allegations a couple of years ago. We didn’t write that memo, we just read it.
Next … A smug coach
Dabo Swinney
Swinney has become a polarizing figure, and most Ohio State fans fall on the side of not liking him. The message and culture he conveys is hard to fault, but he comes off as being too smug to Buckeye Nation. Of course it doesn’t help that he’s elevated Clemson to one of the best programs in the country, but many feel he got away with one in the desert this last year, and his comments after the game about knowing his team would win didn’t come off very well. There’s a perception that he thinks the way he does things is better than everywhere else, and that doesn’t sit well on the banks of the Olentangy.
Next … Bert!
Bret Bielema
Bielema began taking shots at Ohio State ever since Urban Meyer arrived in Columbus. From questioning his recruiting tactics, to getting in a back and forth media tussle, to trying to cancel K.J. Hill’s recruiting visit to Columbus without Hill’s consent, his trolling is well-chronicled. Even when he left for Arkansas, Bielema called out Ohio State’s schedule on a conference call. One thing is certain, there is no love lost between Bert and Buckeye fans — or former coaches for that matter.
Next … A Heisman winner from TTUN
Desmond Howard
Howard is the anti-Herbstreit. He’s got a job on ESPN and he’s supposed to be impartial, yet he can’t hide his allegiances to his alma mater. He always thinks Michigan has the better team going into The Game despite the Buckeyes winning 15 of the last 16 — the last two in blowout variety. Even last year, he had one of the most horrible takes proclaiming Michigan as “the better” team at that moment going into the contest in Ann Arbor. Sixty game minutes later, and after a 56-27 beatdown, there was no doubt which team was clearly more talented. Doing the Heisman pose in the endzone against Ohio State in 1991 doesn’t help things either.
Next … From Ohio to TTUN
Charles Woodson
Woodson is a lot like Howard, but with a little more gristle to him. He too won a Heisman with an unbelievable performance in The Game, but now that he’s in the media with FOX College Football, he often goes back and forth with Urban Meyer. He isn’t coy about his love for Michigan, or his hate for Ohio State. He’s all Michigan, all the time, is an Ohio native turncoat, and that’s all Buckeye Nation needs to consider him a villain. He’s even predicted victory over Ohio State in the past, but that didn’t end well either.
Next … The Game’s punching bag
Jim Harbaugh
Harbaugh is to Michigan what John Cooper was to Ohio State. No matter how hard he tried, Mr. awkward just can’t beat that school to the south. He’s now 0-5 and all of Buckeye Nation loves to rub that in. He also has a tendency to whine, complain, and put forth zany ideas. He’s lost his mind many times, and despite his failure against the Buckeyes, he’s still a villain of villains for the OSU program. Just like Lex Luther though, he seems to be always destined to lose to Superman.
Next … A journalist with an ax to grind
Brett McMurphy
We want to be clear here. We do not condone domestic violence, or discrimination against women in any way. Also, we have no idea what the real story is between Zach and Courtney Smith and what all went on with those two and Urban Meyer’s role or involvement. Still, Ohio State fans, coaches, and administrators could do without journalist Brett McMurphy. He uncovered the domestic violence allegations against Smith and kept on grinding, sometimes making the appearance that he took the whole thing personally. He also appeared to go out of his way to dig up more stories to make OSU look bad. Some of his work was criticized for sloppiness, but we’ll let everyone decide that for themselves.
Next … May day overkill
Mark May
Some newer Ohio State fans may not have as much vitriol for former ESPN analyst Mark May as some others do, but there’s no doubt May loved to say things just to rile up Buckeye fans. Some of it may stem from his Pitt team getting bludgeoned 72-0 by Ohio State during his playing days, but no matter the reason, May seemed to never say anything nice about OSU. Heck, he even went out of his way to make an appearance out of nowhere just to get under Ohio State fans’ skin just prior to the Fiesta Bowl last year. For the longest time, May was enemy No. 1 for Buckeye Nation.
And that’s it for our list of ten personalities that are villains to Buckeye Nation to this day. Who did we miss? Feel free to chime in on our social media sites below.
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