Ohio State folks know Ohio State is not merely *an* Ohio State University. It is THE Ohio State University, and that's how their fans, players, and alumni refer to the school whenever asked.
Now players get to announce their alma mater on Sunday Night Football, so whenever an OSU player comes along, they get their "THE" on. Plenty of Buckeyes were in the Panthers' starting lineup Sunday night -- WR's Ted Ginn and Corey Brown, safety Kurt Coleman, guard Andrew Norwell -- so their non-OSU teammates decided to have a little fun with them by stealing their THE.
Of course, it's all in fun -- just some teammates ragging on their other teammates, who have probably talked about their alma mater quite a lot over the past year or so.
Most people didn't notice this live, but a few did pick up on the slight:
Lists of Buckeyes playing in tonight's game. Also it's not THE university of Georgia tool
— Jedidiah Stephen (@Kiltem6) October 26, 2015
"The" University of Georgia. "The" University of Louisiana. Cute. Let em know Kurt. #THE
— Darius M. Thigpen (@Thig08) October 26, 2015
It's not THE University of Georgia bro.... #NiceTry
— Butcher (@butcher98) October 26, 2015
Non-Ohio State fans: Be more careful about how you use the word "the." Specifically, be more careful about how you pronounce it.
In case you're confused by Tillman's "THE University of Louisiana," there's a backstory there, too. He went to Louisiana-Lafayette, which has tried branding itself as just "Louisiana" despite the presence of LSU and Louisiana-Monroe. And hey, here's an LSU person upset about that!
Dude said The University of Louisiana, oh ok
— Trevante (@AyeDjTaylor) October 26, 2015
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