EAST LANSING, Mich. — One peculiarity of college football is its picture-in-picture functionality, how one game is visible within the larger screen of an entire season.
For example, take No. 2 Ohio State’s unsettling 17-16 win against unranked Michigan State on Saturday.
The little picture showed the 10-1 Buckeyes barely hanging on against the 3-8 Spartans, whose only Big Ten win came against Rutgers High. As 24-mph winds at kickoff ordered the Spartan Stadium flags to stand at attention, Ohio State stood at ease.
“That was a tough day at the office,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said.