Athletics are beautiful because they benefit from unknown outcomes. The alternative is certainty, but knowing how things will turn out is more science than sport. Science is anticipation without the anxiety. Sports are like a first date. Hope for the best. Fear the worst. Enjoy the thrill ride either way.

Mix baking soda with vinegar and a fizzy result is guaranteed. Mix Ohio State and Michigan and no one is 100% sure how things will end up.

In that way, sports are full of wonder. And wondering. Let’s get to it.

I wonder …

· What must Ryan Day do this season to stop Ohio State fans from foaming at the mouth, demanding his head on a platter? Would beating Michigan be enough? What if the Buckeyes defeat Michigan but lose two other games and somehow don’t make the playoff? What if they lose to Michigan but win the national championship?

∙ Is anyone else surprised that David Bell is still managing the Cincinnati Reds? I’m a big believer in coaching continuity, but the Reds are 377-423 (.471) in Bell’s six seasons at the helm.

· If the Blue Jackets were consistent winners, would there be less outcry about upgrading Nationwide Arena? There is nothing quite like the threat of an arena upgrade paid for in part by tax dollars to light up the Internet message boards. And sure enough, online comments are on fire after the owner of Nationwide Arena and its nearby partner, the Greater Columbus Convention Center, revealed this week the need for more than $170 million in repairs, of which $62 million would go toward arena improvements.

The Convention Facilities Authority, which purchased Nationwide Arena in 2012, wants upgrades for the roof ($9 million), cooling towers ($7.5 million), new scoreboard ($8.5 million), fire alarm replacement ($2.5 million), suite renovations ($1 million), club level renovations ($1.7 million), and concession stands ($1.5 million) and improvements to the party tower LED displays ($675,000).

Suite renovations? Party tower displays? Would those “extras” be more palatable if the CBJ had won more than one playoff series this century?

Traditionally, the authority has paid for capital improvements from the agency's revenue sources, including the county's tax on hotel beds, casino tax revenue and a tax on tickets to Nationwide Arena events, in addition to state, local and federal dollars.

In its recent capital budget, the Ohio Legislature proposed spending $2 million to help arena improvements, well short of the $9 million the authority sought.

The authority is looking at other funding options. Hold on to your wallets.

· How good does Ohio State’s quarterback need to be for the Buckeyes to contend for a national title? More than just a game manager? At some point this season, likely during the 12-team playoff, some combination of Will Howard, Devin Brown and/or Lincoln Kienholz, Julian Sayin and Air Noland will need to win a game with his arm, and likely his legs, too. Can OSU’s running game and what is expected to be a top-five defense perform well enough to hide QB flaws?

· Speaking of flaws, how to explain Ohio State grading only in the “B” range on the offensive line the past few seasons? Is it a lack of talent? Coaching? Or could it be that emphasis on the passing game has fundamentally changed the attitude of the earth movers up front? When your bread and butter is protecting the quarterback, does the “dawg” mentality downsize into more of a puppy personality?

· Did Lance Armstrong taint cycling forever? As I write this, the Tour de France is winding through the mountains of south-central France. The endurance, discipline and bravery required to cycle at speeds up to 30 mph in a pack of riders is incredible, but how many of us still include Tour de France and doping in the same sentence?

· Is Ohio State offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Brian Hartline any good at calling plays? The talk entering last season was how much play-calling input Hartline would have on game day. Turns out Day continued to handle those duties, then went out and hired buddy Chip Kelly during the 2024 offseason (after initially hiring Bill O’Brien, before O’Brien left to coach Boston College) to run the offense this fall. Hartline is an exceptional recruiter, but we simply do not know how capable he is at running the show on Saturdays.

· Does Ohio State men’s basketball coach Jake Diebler exhibit the gravitas necessary to win big? Diebs is an excellent communicator who seems to care deeply about his players, but does he command attention when entering a room, the way the great ones do and did? Bob Knight. Tom Izzo. Mike Krzyzewski. When Connecticut women’s coach Geno Auriemma speaks, all ears tune in. Ditto Huskies men’s coach Dan Hurley. Former Ohio State coach Thad Matta was dynamic enough. It’s called having presence. It’s still early, but does Diebler have the “it” factor?

∙ Why won’t we accept professional flag football? The game has everything. Sick moves. Speed. Scoring. Except no hitting. And we love hitting.

· Will Ohio State keep 36 varsity sports? The NCAA has ruled that schools can offer up to $22 million in payments to athletes, which will place a burden on athletic departments to determine how to allocate those financial resources. Most of the money will go toward football and basketball, leaving how much for sports such as women’s rowing, golf, baseball and pistol and rifle? Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork is on record saying he intends to keep all 36 sports (Stanford is the only other school with as many as 36). Could it be that Bjork keeps 36 but defunds a dozen or so, essentially turning them into club sports but with varsity status?

∙ How will Texas and Oklahoma fare in the Southeastern Conference? Will leaving the Big 12 be a rude awakening for the two giants? Or does their joining mostly bode as bad news for close-but-no-cigar teams such as Florida and Texas A&M? Likewise, how will Southern California, UCLA, Oregon and Washington do in the Big Ten? Don't ask Purdue, Michigan State or Wisconsin. They don't want to know.

· Why do we invest so much into our teams? My son has become a huge fan of the Chicago Cubs – much to the chagrin of his father – and has come to understand how fans are psychologically impacted by their team’s success/failure. “It was exciting in April when the Cubs were good, but the last two months have been depressing. I keep turning on games when I know it’s more likely going to frustrate me. Why? Fandom, I guess. Blind hope. But I now know what it means to witness a crushing loss and have it ruin the rest of your night. And an overwhelming win is a confidence boost.”

∙ How will former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh handle being back in the NFL? His record in four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers was 49-19-1 (.695), with one Super Bowl appearance. Can he replicate that success with the Los Angeles Chargers? Will the rah-rah stuff still work with grown men?

∙ Why doesn’t soccer implement a scoreboard clock and official “press box timekeeper” in stoppage time, instead of putting the length of the match under the control of the head referee, who already has his hands full with other duties? Soccer purists tend to hate the idea of being able to watch the seconds tick down in stoppage, arguing there is a flow to soccer that a referee needs to be able to let a play finish before blowing the final whistle. And a clock also adds too much certainty to the game, which detracts from the wonder of it all.

And wonder makes sports what they are. A beautiful unknown.

roller@dispatch.com

@rollerCD

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ryan Day, Jim Harbaugh and arena tax deals all make fans wonder