“They’re the Most Jealous Fanbase in College Football” — And Fans Keep Naming One Program

College football might be the only sport where another team’s success can feel almost as painful as your own team’s failure.

Every major program has rivals. Every fanbase complains about rankings, recruiting, media coverage and which teams supposedly receive special treatment. That’s part of what makes college football different.

But if fans were forced to name the fanbase dealing with the most jealousy right now, there is one extremely controversial answer worth discussing:

Ohio State.

Calling Buckeyes fans “jealous” will obviously make plenty of people in Columbus furious. Ohio State is one of the most successful programs in the history of the sport. Its fans don’t exactly have much reason to envy anybody.

But that’s what makes the argument interesting.

Ohio State fans are accustomed to being the program everyone else wants to catch.

And after what happened against Texas, they’re suddenly watching somebody else enjoy the attention.

Texas Just Took Everything Ohio State Had

The timing couldn’t be better for this debate.

Ohio State entered Saturday ranked No. 1 in the country and traveled to Austin for one of the biggest games of the early season.

For most of the night, the Buckeyes looked like the better team.

Ohio State led Texas 20-0 during the third quarter and still held a 23-3 advantage entering the fourth.

Then everything collapsed.

Texas scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and stunned Ohio State 24-23.

It was one of those losses that sticks with a fanbase.

Ohio State didn’t simply lose a close game from beginning to end. The Buckeyes spent most of the night believing they were about to walk into Austin, beat another national powerhouse and remind everybody why they were ranked No. 1.

Instead, Texas stole the entire night.

Now Texas Gets the Attention

That’s where the jealousy argument starts.

Texas didn’t just beat Ohio State.

The Longhorns became the story of college football.

Arch Manning led the comeback. Texas fans stormed into celebration mode. The Longhorns moved into the center of the national championship conversation while Ohio State was left explaining how a 20-point advantage disappeared.

That’s a difficult switch for any powerhouse fanbase to accept.

It’s even harder for Ohio State.

Buckeyes fans are accustomed to their program receiving enormous national attention. Ohio State expects to recruit at an elite level, compete for the Big Ten, make the College Football Playoff and challenge for championships.

Those aren’t unrealistic expectations.

They’re the standard.

But when another blue-blood suddenly becomes college football’s shiny new favorite, Ohio State fans aren’t exactly known for quietly watching from the background.

The Expectations in Columbus Are Almost Impossible

There is another reason Ohio State fits this argument.

Winning isn’t enough there.

A 10-win season would be celebrated at the overwhelming majority of college football programs.

At Ohio State, it can feel like a crisis.

The clearest example came before the Buckeyes’ recent national championship success, when frustration with Ryan Day reached enormous levels because Ohio State kept losing to Michigan.

Fans weren’t satisfied with beating almost everybody else.

They wanted Michigan.

They wanted the Big Ten.

They wanted the national championship.

Anything less felt disappointing.

That mentality is part of what makes Ohio State great. A program doesn’t become one of the biggest brands in college football by accepting mediocrity.

But it can also make fans look jealous when another program starts getting the praise they believe belongs to Ohio State.

Michigan Makes This Even Worse

And then there’s Michigan.

No discussion about Ohio State fans and jealousy would be complete without mentioning the Wolverines.

The rivalry has been played more than 120 times and remains one of the defining rivalries in American sports.

For Ohio State fans, losing to Michigan isn’t treated like losing any other game.

It changes how an entire season is remembered.

Michigan’s recent success made that even more painful.

When your biggest rival wins, celebrates and receives national attention, there’s no pretending you’re happy for them.

Ohio State fans don’t want Michigan succeeding.

Michigan fans don’t want Ohio State succeeding.

That’s the rivalry.

Jealousy might actually be part of the job description.

Ohio State Fans Will Hate This Argument

And they have a pretty strong response.

Why would Ohio State be jealous?

This is one of the winningest programs college football has ever seen.

Ohio State recruits elite players every year. The Buckeyes consistently produce NFL talent. They remain nationally relevant almost regardless of roster turnover.

Even after Saturday’s loss, Ohio State isn’t suddenly a bad football team.

The Buckeyes actually outgained Texas 372-336. Julian Sayin threw for 278 yards, and Jeremiah Smith finished with 164 receiving yards.

For three quarters, Ohio State looked completely capable of beating Texas on the road.

One disastrous quarter doesn’t erase the program.

That’s the strongest argument against calling its fans jealous.

Ohio State has what most other programs want.

But That’s Exactly Why Losing Hurts So Much

Here’s the counterargument.

Sometimes the people with the most are the ones who have the hardest time watching somebody else get something.

Ohio State fans don’t compare themselves to average programs.

They compare themselves to Michigan.

Texas.

Georgia.

Alabama.

Notre Dame.

The programs competing for national championships and dominating college football conversations.

That’s an entirely different standard.

So when Texas completes a historic comeback against Ohio State and immediately becomes the team everyone is talking about, Buckeyes fans aren’t going to shrug and say, “Good for them.”

They’re going to think about what Ohio State should have done differently.

They’re going to argue about whether Texas is actually better.

They’re going to wait for another opportunity to prove the Buckeyes still belong at the top.

That’s college football jealousy at its finest.

And Ohio State Isn’t Alone

There are plenty of other candidates.

Alabama fans have spent years watching their program define college football and now have to see other SEC programs receive championship attention.

Michigan and Ohio State fans obsess over each other’s failures.

Texas and Oklahoma have spent more than a century trying to ruin each other’s seasons.

Texas A&M fans certainly don’t enjoy watching Texas become one of the biggest stories in the sport.

Georgia fans aren’t interested in giving Alabama credit.

USC and Notre Dame fans don’t exactly exchange congratulations every Saturday night.

Jealousy is everywhere in college football because rivalries are everywhere.

That’s what makes the sport fun.

Ohio State Has the Perfect Chance to Answer

The best part for Buckeyes fans is that September doesn’t decide championships.

Ohio State is 1-1, not eliminated.

There is still an entire season ahead.

If the Buckeyes start winning again, Saturday’s collapse in Austin could eventually become nothing more than an early-season scar.

And if Ohio State somehow finds its way back into the championship picture, the Texas loss could make a future postseason meeting even more explosive.

For now, though, Texas owns the bragging rights.

The Longhorns erased a 20-point deficit, scored 21 points in the fourth quarter and handed the No. 1 team in America a 24-23 loss.

Ohio State fans can argue about rankings, talent, history and which team would win a rematch.

But they can’t change that scoreboard.

And until they get another chance, watching Texas celebrate might hurt almost as much as the loss itself.

Maybe that’s hatred.

Maybe it’s rivalry.

Or maybe, right now, Ohio State has college football’s most jealous fanbase.