Ohio against the world meaning
What does 'Ohio Against the World' mean? Explanation behind Ohio State's mentality, phrase
Following Ohio State's Cotton Bowl win against No. 5 Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal, cameras caught game hero Jack Sawyer and Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard standing next to each other on the stage during the trophy celebration.
As the confetti began to descent on the Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium, Sawyer and Howard were seen holding up a flag that was hard to be missed on the telecast.
"Ohio Against The World," the flag read.
In the postseason, it has develop customary for a team to adopt a "postseason mantra" that resembles the DNA and culture of the team. Last year, Alabama adopted a "Let All Naysayers Know" (LANK) mentality for its run to the CFP. Back during his team's Super Bowl 52 parade, then-Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce famously gave a speech in which he announced "hungry dogs run faster" was the Eagles mantra.
Ohio State's opponent for Monday's CFP championship game, No. 7 Notre Dame, has its own mantra of "wake up the echoes."
Looking for a free mini puzzle? Engage the USA TODAY Quick Cross now.But what does the Buckeyes phrase mean?
Here's what you nee
What does Ohio Against The World mean? Five things to know about the Ohio brand
Many Ohioans are very much feeling against the world this morning (or Lou Holtz, at least) after the Ohio State Buckeyes' 17-14 win against Notre Dame on Saturday
. But where did the phrase and those flags come from?
Here are a few things to know about Ohio Against The World, both the brand and movement, founded right here in the Buckeye State.
Founder Floyd Johnson is a Cincinnati native
The brand was founded over a decade ago by Floyd Johnson, a Cincinnati native, when he wore a hoodie he made himself in downtown Cincinnati on a Friday night. It caught others' attention, which prompted him to make more.
Looking for a free mini puzzle? Play the USA TODAY Quick Cross now.The brand came about around the same time as another clothing brand promoting Midwestern pride, Detroit Vs. Everybody.
The slogan is a rallying cry for the "underdog"
Johnson told The Lantern in 2015 that the phrase is a "battle cry for the underdog." The brand embodies "no matter where you are from, you can conquer anything," according to its website.
The phrase is popular with Ohio sports figures
From Lebron James to Ry
Denny Hamlin gives nod to Ohio State with ‘11 against the world’ flag after Martinsville win
Denny Hamlin ended about an 11-month winning drought, taking the checkered flag at Martinsville. It was his sixth win at Martinsville, and he had something a little new to show off after the win.
After doing a lengthy burnout and parking his car, Hamlin climbed out of his window and stood on the car. He then asked for a flag.
Someone in his crew came over and handed him a blue flag, matching his car’s scheme. It read “11 Against The World.” Denny Hamlin explained the meaning in a post-race interview on FS1.
“Well my buddies, my Ohio State fans that I hung out with at the end of last year, we always had the Ohio State against the world,” Hamlin said. “So now it’s 11 against the world.”
As for the race itself, Denny Hamlin was dominant from start to finish. He led a whopping 274 laps at Martinsville, the fifth-most laps he has ever led in a Cup Series race.
In the final 20 laps or so, he pulled away from the rest of the field with ease. That made it an easy finish. Hamlin came away praising his crew.
“You know, Chris Gayle, all the engineers, the pit crew, everybody really on th
Webner House
I first saw the slogan “Ohio Against The World” at the Sugar Bowl game against Alabama years ago. Ohio State had just made a great play, and the TV broadcast showed this shot of the two guys above, screaming their brains out at the prospect of a colossal Buckeye upset in the making. I was screaming my brains out, too, but nevertheless retained the ability to think rationally to myself: “Wow! That’s a very cool shirt.” I loved the sentiment of the shirt in the context of that particular game, where Ohio State was a huge underdog against a great Crimson Tide team. Of course, Ohio State went on to win that game, and then won the next game, against Oregon in a game I got to watch in person, to take home a national championship.
I wasn’t alone in my reaction to the shirt. The “Ohio Against The World” shirt and slogan, which were the work of a guy from Cincinnati, caught on. The creator aptly described the slogan as a “battle cry for the underdog,” but it goes beyond that. The phrase captures deep-seated beliefs about disrespect, and being dismissed, and not being given a chance, and being the subject of
Connor Kiesel
Alabama and the SEC aren't the entire world -- at least not in the greater macro sense. But when it comes to college football, the conference has been the center of the universe for the past decade or so. A dominant force in the BCS era, at least one SEC school reached the title game in the system's final eight years and only Florida State last season prevented an incredible eighth straight SEC championship.
That all changed on the first day of 2015, the dawning of a new era in the sport.
No. 4 Ohio State went into last Thursday's College Football Playoff semifinal (the first in the sport's history) Sugar Bowl against No. 1 Alabama as the underdog. Plenty of critics wondered if the Buckeyes deserved to be the final team in the playoff, as they catapulted into the top four of the final standings after a 59-0 dismantling of Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Debate only further intensified when TCU, one of the Big XII teams in the mix for the fourth playoff bid, crushed Ole Miss, the only team to beat Alabama this season, in the Peach Bowl on New Year's Eve.
Then came New Year's Day and the Buckeyes' chance to prove the doubters wrong.
Led by a