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Readers give Dispatch sports editor Brian White their takes on Ohio State football and more.

Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at [email protected]. Letters are lightly edited for clarity.

Unfortunately, we don't have room in the print edition for all of the great reader feedback we're getting. For more of the letters, go to Dispatch.com. Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at [email protected]. Letters are lightly edited for clarity.

On Ohio State football

To the editor: Woody Hayes and Ryan Day walk up to the pearly gates together.

St. Peter says to Woody, "State your case."

Woody doesn't blink. "God. Country. Beating Michigan."

The gates open like automatic doors at Kroger.

Day steps forward. "God. Family. National championships. And I beat Michigan ... sometimes."

St. Peter sighs. "Coach, I'm going to let you in."

Day smiles. "Thank you."

St. Peter adds, "But it's probation."

"Probation?"

"One more Michigan win next year ... and you're fully saved."

Michael N. Oser, Upper Arlington

To Michael: I'm curious: Where has Hayes been since he died in 1987 that only now is he at the pearly gates? On probation? In detention? In heaven's large waiting room?

Woody Hayes coaching against Michigan State on Nov. 4, 1967.

Dear Mr. White: Now that the CFP championship game has concluded, I suggest that you update your answer to Mike Adamkosky in last week's Mailbox regarding The Dispatch article "Downs still says Buckeyes are better." You stated that the Buckeye team "was very good but exposed in its final two games." The offense was certainly exposed but definitely not the defense. They held the Indiana national champions to 13 points, something no other defense was able to accomplish. And this was in front of a pro-Indiana crowd in Indianapolis, no less. The 2025 OSU defense was who we thought they were - an elite No. 1 defense.

Michael O'Connell, Columbus

To Michael: Good point, and I should have clarified. The Ohio State defense was not exposed. The offense was. None of this season's shortcomings fall on Matt Patricia's crew.

On college football

To Brian: After watching the IU vs. Miami game and others, I've concluded that holding at the line of scrimmage and on receivers going downfield occurs on nearly every play in football. So what, then, gets the referees to call a penalty? It's a mystery to us all. It seems the referees are really the ones who decide the outcome of games.

Chet Ridenour Sr., Worthington

To Chet: You are correct. Holding does occur on every play, because it is permitted. Until officials crack down with consistency, players will seek any advantage they can get. Also, I'm thankful your email isn't one of the many "Ohio State gets held every play and nobody else does" complaints. Thanks for that. I've heard enough of those and tune them out.

Ohio State Buckeye fans celebrate in the second half of the NCAA basketball game at Value City Arena on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio.

On Ohio State basketball

To the editor: The Dispatch will become another sadly defunct newspaper if it continues to publish articles by Rob Oller and Philip Derrow. Why would a new subscriber pay money to read their blithering bosh? Their logic, their reasoning, lack the intellectual standards normally maintained by The Dispatch. Amelia Robinson and Michael Arace have established a high bar of consistent logic. (Unfortunately, Arace was ushered out the door).

Oller blames the lack of a high-profile coach for the poor attendance at Ohio State men's basketball games. Was Michigan State's Tom Izzo a high-profile entity when he was named their coach? Coach Diebler is an admirable hire who exudes character, integrity and capability. Who buys a ticket to watch a coach? Can Oller recognize that Ohio State made a multimillion-dollar mistake in building that arena?

The Schott is uninviting. The arena is poorly designed for college basketball viewing, with horrific sight lines. Thousands of prime arena seats are unused compensatory seats set aside for university employees. Parking is an expensive and proximity inconvenience. How about securing early afternoon game times that allow residents throughout the state to make a day of it? The arena atmosphere fails at trying to replicate a professional basketball venue, replete with absurd special effects and an annoying cacophony of musical irritation. The arena reeks of elitism. The university would do well to admit their mistake and to ramp up a fundraising initiative to build a basketball complex suited for a college campus, then possibly use the Schott to house students displaced from their outdated dorms. Start the fundraising by requesting donations from the university's football coaches. Yet Oller can only cite a superficial aspect as he whines on and on.

I'm a cheerleader for The Dispatch, love the subscription perks and the paper's evolution the past few years, but Derrow and Oller are eroding my daily desire to be fulfilled by community interests.

Danny Finn, Worthington

To Danny: Thanks for being a loyal subscriber. I can't speak for Derrow, as I run only the sports part of our operation, but as for Oller, he is right to point out that there is a serious problem with attendance. The numbers are striking. The crowd of 8,750 on Jan. 20 was the smallest for a Big Ten men’s basketball game in the 28-year history of the arena, which seats 18,809. As our Adam Jardy points out, the Schottenstein Center has been less than half full for five games, and attendance has dropped compared to 2024-25, when the Buckeyes averaged 11,578 fans. The Buckeyes have not had a home sellout game since March 6, 2022. They have had 81 sellout crowds in arena history, but only nine since the start of the 2014-15 season. Oller, and anyone with sense, agrees that Diebler is a good coach and an extremely decent person. But would, say, John Calipari, Dusty May or Sean Miller have recruited better? And won more? This team has not caught the fans' attention. Lastly, Mike Arace was not "ushered out the door." He took a voluntary departure and remains, as they say, a friend of the program.

To Brian: Tuning into a recent Ohio State women's basketball game, rebounding appeared to be a deficiency. I looked up stats for several games, and even though they've overcome that to still win often, I saw the same pattern, especially allowing too many offensive rebounds by the opposing team. I'm surprised that coaches must not have more emphatically stressed fundamentals taught to fourth graders, which are too often not followed. Just hoping the ball bounces your way isn't an effective strategy. Perhaps Jerry Lucas could stop by and give them some tips and a word of inspiration. Correcting that could yield huge dividends this season.

Dennis Singleton, Dayton

Kyle Whittingham speaks at a news conference introducing him as the new Michigan Wolverines head football coach at the Hyatt Regency Orlando on Dec. 28, 2025 in Orlando, Florida.

On Michigan football

To Brian: Finding a good head coach in college football has become slim pickins' and very costly. After some 20 years of a lull in the Ohio State rivalry, Michigan got Jim Harbaugh to restore the program, at least in wins and prominence ... briefly. Since Lloyd Carr retired, losing often to OSU 's Jim Tressel, Michigan struggled to find consistency in their coaching. Harbaugh won a championship and left for the NFL. They needed Sherrone Moore to continue the success. It was unclear if he would pass the test. He lost it off the field.

Kyle Wittingham's "retirement" at 66 from Utah after 21 seasons (which included a Rose Bowl loss to Ryan Day) is understandable, despite no CFP (12-2 in '25). Michigan grabbed him without hesitation. Why? They need stability first and foremost. And college football needs quality programs.

Larry Cheek, Dublin