We’ll talk about this later: The Scott’s Tots game of the year

Each week, we’ll break down something that happened during the Ohio State game (and occasionally other games) that we’ll be talking about for a while—you know, the silly sideline interactions, the awful announcing and the weird storylines that stick with us for years to come. We’ll also compare each of these happenings to memorable moments in pop culture, because who doesn’t love a good Office reference?

I don’t want to talk about anything related to this game—now, later, maybe ever. Ohio State’s win over Northwestern was the ugliest game of the season played on an ugly day in Chicago. I mean, look at how windy it was.

This game is the Scott’s Tots of Ohio State’s football season. For those unfamiliar with The Office, Scott’s Tots is an episode in the middle of season six of the series.

Years before the events in the episode, Michael Scott had promised college tuition to a group of underserved kids (the Scott’s Tots) if they graduated from high school. Obviously, Michael could not keep this promise. The group, set to graduate, repeatedly invited Michael to their school to say thank you, and Michael had to eventually accept their invitation with the firm direction of Pam, who admonished him for doing a “terrible, terrible thing.”

What followed was a horrendously awkward scene where the kids perform an impassioned song and give heartfelt speeches, only to have Michael tell them that he cannot afford to pay for school but CAN offer them lithium laptop batteries.

While the episode resolves with Michael offering to pay for the books of one of the students and Erin relaying that Scott’s Tots had a higher graduation rate than the rest of the school, it was not enough to make up for the absolute cringe of the cringiest episode of a series that has so, so many cringey moments.

For Ohio State, the Buckeyes escaped with a win and this episode of the season ended with a W, even if the conclusion was not as satisfying as we might have hoped for. The Buckeyes matched their lowest point total of the season (21 points in their season opener against Notre Dame). For the second-straight game, the Buckeyes were outgained on offense (yes, by Northwestern) and were held under 300 total yards for the first time this year. On a windy, rainy day where it was tough to pass, Ohio State’s backs struggled to run against the Wildcats.

And the one bright spot of the day offensively was an upside-down moment where C.J. Stroud nearly rushed for a touchdown.

In the case of Scott’s Tots, this episode was not necessary to move the plot of the season along. For fans of the series, it’s one we often skip when rewatching. Ohio State fans similarly will hope to forget this windy day in November, walk away with the win and hopefully move toward the College Football Playoff with their same trajectory.

Still, the cringe factor does not abate. So hopefully we will not talk about this later.