ESPN Accused Of Bias With Recap Of Ohio State vs. Iowa Game
10/06/2024 01:24 PM
One ESPN writer wasn't particularly impressed with Ohio State's Week 6 win over Iowa.
The Buckeyes cruised to a 35-7 victory over the Hawkeyes on Saturday. Will Howard had as many passing touchdowns as incompletions (four), and the team combined for 203 rushing yards while limiting their Big Ten opponent to 226 total yards. Yet one ESPN article focused on a late hiccup.
In a story recapping the biggest Week 6 moments and takeaways, David Hale wrote that Saturday "had to feel like a loss for Ohio State." Hale noted that no ranked team had allowed points to Iowa since Michigan two years ago.
Ohio State analyst Jeremy Birmingham used the blurb to accuse ESPN of "next level propaganda" in favor of the SEC. Under the OSU portion, Hale called Georgia's 31-13 win over Auburn "entirely reasonable."
Up 35-0, Ryan Day played some second-stringers when Kaleb Johnson scored Iowa's lone touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. Buckeyes fans don't think they should get punished for an inconsequential play.
"That is a wild summary of the game," a fan said.
"This is insane," an Ohio State fan wrote in response to the clip. "A TD allowed in garbage time from backups is a loss for the Buckeyes."
"If SEC bias were a crime, ESPN would be doing three life sentences," a Big Ten account declared.
Hale probably overstated the significance of Ohio State surrendering one touchdown late in a blowout victory. However, he was hardly over the moon about Georgia's performance either.
"More than anything, Georgia wore down Auburn rather than delivering any sort of statement." Hale wrote. "If anything, it was a bit embarrassing not to get a single Payton Thorne interception. Typically, Auburn is giving those away with the purchase of any large soft drink."
Ohio State can make a much louder statement by defeating Oregon next Saturday night in a monumental Big Ten clash.
Related: Ryan Day Has 1-Word Response To Idea Of Coaching At Ohio State For 26 Years
