Ohio State made scouting rule inquiry before Buckeyes, Michigan played semifinal games: Report

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football reportedly made an in-person scouting inquiry to the College Football Playoff last season that takes on new context in the wake of an NCAA investigation into Michigan’s alleged sign-stealing program.

According to Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger, OSU reached out to the NCAA prior to last December’s semifinal games, asking whether staff members were allowed to attend the other semifinal to scout future opponents. The Buckeyes played Georgia in the Peach Bowl. Michigan and TCU played in the Fiesta Bowl.

Per the report, the CFP deferred to the NCAA”s rule, which does allow in-person scouting of future opponents at postseason events. Dellenger reported that the Fiesta Bowl said OSU did not make a ticket request to attend last season’s game.

The CFP has since codified that scouting permission in its bylaws.

That inquiry — unreported and unnoticed until Saturday — took on new context in the past week. The NCAA is investigating Michigan over a staff member arranging for individuals to attend games involving future opponents, which is a violation of NCAA bylaws for regular-season events.

That staffer, Connor Stalions, allegedly orchestrated that program to steal signs, including having people record the play signals on the sidelines with smart phones. Per near-daily reports that have trickled out with new details, the program involved attending games outside the Big Ten of possible future playoff opponents.

Another Yahoo report earlier this week said Ohio State tipped off TCU ahead of the Fiesta Bowl that Michigan had an extensive sign-stealing system. TCU changed up its signals, including the use of “dummy signals,” and beat the Wolverines 51-45.

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The initial College Football Rankings release Tuesday, and Ohio State coach Ryan Day said his team deserves a spot in the top four. The Buckeyes rank No. 3 in this week’s AP Poll and are the only undefeated team in college football with two ranked wins.

“If you look at our resume and what we’ve done so far with two top 10 wins [we deserve it],” Day said Monday, via WBNS 10TV. “You’re seeing a really solid defense and an offense that’s starting to really show its explosiveness again. The potential is there, but what matters is what we put on the field.”

Day said he pays little attention to the CFP rankings until later in the season.

“What matters is how we play,” Day said. “The rankings are really for the fans. As we get closer to the end of the season, that becomes more of a discussion. Right now, it’s all about winning this game. You don’t win this game, and nothing else matters.”

Day said his focus is on beating Rutgers this week. The Scarlet Knights boast a top-15 scoring defense under head coach Greg Schiano, and Ohio State will need to “win every single play” in a game where possessions will be at a premium, according to Day.

“It’s November,” Day said. “We’re looking to play clean. It’s important. In order to win these matchup games that are going to continue to show up, we have to win every single play because it could come down to that. In this game, we’re going to have to be efficient because there’s an opportunity we won’t have as many snaps as we have in some of the previous games.”

Ohio State’s defense has been one of the nation’s top units this season. The Buckeyes rank No. 2 in the nation in points allowed per game (10.0) and have allowed just 29 total points over its last three Big Ten matchups. However, Day said his defense can’t afford to get complacent.

“When you hear the noise, you can’t listen,” Day said. “It can fuel you, but you can’t let that affect you. Everyone is saying we have one of the better defenses in the country. It can build your confidence, but you can’t get overconfident. We can’t get complacent. Am I proud of where we’re at? Sure. But that doesn’t mean anything if we don’t finish this thing off the right way. We’ll take a look at this thing at the end of the year and figure out where we’re at. We got to go win this game against Rutgers.”