"It was a good thing to lose to Michigan": Kirk Herbstreit delivers verdict on Ryan Day & Co.'s turnaround ahead of Texas clash

Contrary to belief, Kirk Herbstreit doesn't think it's taboo to say Ohio State's setback against archrival Michigan yielded positives.

On the On3 podcast "Andy & Ari" on Tuesday, the ESPN football analyst, a former Buckeyes quarterback, spoke about Ohio State's response to its fourth straight defeat to the Wolverines, a 13-10 loss on Nov. 30.

"I almost feel like in a weird way – as Ohio State people, it's weird to say – 'That it was a good thing to lose to Michigan,'" Herbstreit said. "But I do think that the loss to Michigan and the reaction from the media and from some of the fans brought them together. They were either going to crack and fall apart (or) they were gonna come together more.

"When they came out of that locker room at a home game and they saw whatever it was — 30-40,000 — whatever the estimate was of (Tennessee Volunteers) orange in their own stadium, it became even more of a 'us against them' — them meaning anybody outside of that locker room."

In front of that Ohio Stadium crowd, more mixed than usual, and the ESPN broadcast booth duo of Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler, Ryan Day's Buckeyes gave Volunteers fans little to get excited about. Ohio State powered out to a 21-0 advantage and never allowed Tennessee back in it. A 42-17 victory launched the Buckeyes into the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl.

What Kirk Herbstreit saw after Ohio State's loss to Michigan

Earlier in the week, before that first-round romp, Ohio State held a closed-door Senior Tackle ceremony, which also served as a way to air grievances.

"I was blown away by the energy, the emotion, the sadness," Kirk Herbstreit said. "They had that players-only meeting, and it was just with Coach Day. It got very, very aggressive. It was cleansing, from what I've been told. It was not, 'Everything's gonna be fine.' It was just guys letting some stuff out, like a family would is the way they described it to me.

"Sometimes, those kind of conversations aren't comfortable, but they felt they needed to do that because they still had the playoff despite the frustration of losing another game to Michigan."

Kirk Herbstreit also called the Buckeyes' commanding 41-21 win over Big 10 champion Oregon in Pasadena, California. Going in, the matchup was thought to be a close one, but a focused Ohio State group climbed up by 34 points before the second quarter was through.

Entering the Cotton Bowl semifinal against Texas on Friday, Kirk Herbstreit believes the Buckeyes have remained just as intense.

"They've kind of kept that chip on their shoulder," Herbstreit said. "They haven't forgot the comments. They haven't forgotten some of the people that have turned on them after that Michigan game. ... That, I think, subconsciously, has created an edge."