We live in an age of immediacy.
If you have an opinion on anything, you can post it to the internet and in seconds someone in Pittsburgh or Norway or at the southern tip of South America or wherever can see it.
Many of those opinions would be improved by being considered for a while before being sent or by never being sent.
It happens everywhere. It certainly happens in sports.
Taking the time to carefully evaluate a player or coach’s performance? No time for that. Getting there first has overtaken getting it right in too many situations.
Evidence, schmevidence. Got to get a hot take out there before it starts to cool down.
That was on display with stories and comments about two people with strong connections to Ohio State football this week.
Neither of them was the Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs, who probably deserves some criticism after two years of defensive problems at OSU.
The first overreaction were the stories in the national media that portrayed Urban Meyer as shocked, yes shocked, at how bad the Jacksonville Jaguars were and that he was ready to bail on coaching in the NFL after losing one game.
Could he end up back in college coaching? Never say never.
But the idea of a person as competitive and driven as Meyer giving up after one game is ludicrous. He knew who the Jaguars were when he took the job. He knew they were 1-15 last season.
The other overreaction comes from people questioning Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.
The first-year starter has completed 63 percent of his passes for 778 yards and seven touchdowns with only one interception.
But the critics say he has started slowly in both of the Buckeyes’ games, that too many of his incompletions have sailed high and that he doesn’t run the ball enough.
Basically, they’re disappointed he isn’t Justin Fields. But who is? And Fields had played a year of college football as a back-up at Georgia before he got to Ohio State.
OK, now it’s time for my quick hot take. Ohio State is going to win big against Tulsa on Saturday afternoon. If it doesn’t, then the expectations for the rest of the season might have to be adjusted.
My reasons for predicting a big win start with the fact Tulsa is 0-2. It lost its first game to California-Davis, which was picked to finish sixth in the Big Sky Conference in a preseason poll. And in some good news for Ohio State’s struggling defense, Tulsa quarterback Davis Brin has not thrown a touchdown pass yet this season.
But, applying the idea of giving things careful consideration, it should be noted that Tulsa led Oklahoma State in the fourth quarter before losing 28-23 last week. Oklahoma State was ranked No. 22 in this week’s Coaches Poll and was picked No. 4 in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma, Iowa State and Texas in a preseason poll.
Even if Tulsa turns out to be better than expected, the No. 9 Buckeyes should bounce back from last week’s loss to Oregon.
The prediction: Ohio State 38, Tulsa 14
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