Ohio State fans focus their anger over Indiana loss on new USF coach Brian Hartline

USF has a big celebration planned for Monday to welcome new head football coach Brian Hartline to Tampa before he heads back to Columbus to help prepare Ohio State for the College Football Playoff.

Apparently, though, a vocal portion of the Buckeyes' fan base would just as soon Hartline cancel that retrurn trip home and stay in Tampa. In the wake of OSU's 13-10 loss to Indiana in the Big Ten championship game, the Twitter mob pointed the finger of blame at Hartline.

Hartline coached sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin into Heisman Trophy contention this season. Sayin threw 31 touchdowns with only six interceptions. And Indiana has one of the best defenses in the country. The Buckeyes weren't going to roll over the Hoosiers like it was the Indiana of old.

Ryan Stano of the Scarlet&Game site didn't mince words, though.

"Brian Hartline has done a good job calling plays for the most part this season, but he is now the head coach at USF. If this is how he prepares for games with Ohio State now, Ryan Day needs to dismiss him immediately.," he wrote.

Buckeye fans are spoiled and entitled, though. In that sense they aren't much different than many fans of top college football programs. Hence, the name "fan" -- a.k.a. "fanatic."

Bear in mind, Ohio State's offense averaged 35 points a game this season, so some of those "mediocre" play calls must have worked.

Hartline's agreement with USF included the caveat that he would stay in his current job as long as Ohio State is alive in the playoffs. It was reasonable after the game to ask if the announcement that Hartline was headed to USF was a distraction. Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day didn't sound like he wanted to go there.

'"I'm not going to get into too many details on it all. I think Brian is doing everything he possibly can to finish his time here the right way, and I appreciate that," he said. "So we're all involved with it and we're all doing everything we can to make sure that we put the guys in the right situation to be successful.

Also, there was this from Day about play-calling in the wake of Hartline's situation with USF.

"We're all involved with it," he said.

No one is saying that Hartline and the Buckeyes had a lot going on the last few days. It would be foolish to ignore that the possibility that Hartline's decision to take the USF job threw off Ohio State's routine just enough to cost the Bucks in a close game against an undefeated team.

However, the Buckeyes also came within a missed chipshot field goal late of possibly forcing overtime.

Put it this way: If USF made the wrong choice in hiring Hartline, then just about everyone else in the country is wrong, too. The hiring has been heralded as a coup for the Bulls.

So, hey Buckeyes. If you want to send Hartline to Tampa a little earlier, I can promise you this.

USF will take him.