Joel Klatt believes he has a solid understanding of Ohio State and the expectations of the fanbase in Columbus. However, he doesn’t believe those expectations are realistic on an annual basis.

In a recent episode of “The Joel Klatt Show,” he dissected the Buckeye fanbase for “outsized expectations” on an annual basis. Klatt also believes the fanbase has lost sight of the style the program used to win one of the program’s recent national titles.

“First and foremost, as you know, this fanbase, you Buckeyes. I know you, I’ve been around you, I hear you. You have outsized expectations every single year,” said Klatt. “It’s really 2 things: Beat Michigan, (and) win the national championship. If you don’t do those 2 things, the season is considered somewhat of a failure. So the last 2 years, you obviously hear the grumblings.

“Now, you come into this season, and this team so far has not quite measured up to the expectations that the fanbase has had. Let’s just face it. So you hear the people that say ‘Ah, this isn’t gonna be good enough.’ I feel like they forget very quickly. You Buckeye fans: You have forgotten the style in which your national championship team in 2002 played. That was a team that won a bit ugly, but they won. And I know it hasn’t been pretty — yet — for Ohio State, but they’ve won.”

Klatt might have a point about unrealistic expectations if he were talking about other programs, but it is hard not to set elite expectations in Columbus. Ohio State is traditionally regarded as one of the most talented teams in the country, and the Buckeyes maintain some of the best Big Ten Championship odds despite not winning the league since 2020. Interested parties can use our Caesars Ohio promo code to get in on those odds!

Then again, certain seasons require a bit more patience than others. Ohio State can still be successful with a new starting quarterback, but it might take a couple of weeks for the team to fully hit its stride in 2023.