Even before the loss at Purdue, friction was building at Ohio State among the football staff and in athletics leadership, industry sources have told Football Scoop.

The tension, in the football program specifically, hasn’t been seen in previous years, and other friction was present with and around Athletics Director Gene Smith and Urban Meyer and their respective staffs. The Purdue loss evidently simply put a spotlight on the issues.

The next question is what changes Meyer would make starting with the bye week, and then down the stretch, not the least of which coming ahead of the Michigan game that should decide if Ohio State makes the College Football Playoff. Changing the leadership dynamic may be a tougher hill to climb, however.

One outstanding question is if there will be additional fallout from the August investigation following the Zach Smith firing, and if that triggers staffing changes or other moves.

Another issue is Meyer’s health, which he mentioned earlier this season. ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit was a guest on The Dan Patrick Show this week and referred to chronic headaches as being something that has visibly weighed on Meyer.

“If you watch him on the sidelines since he has been back, he looks — the word I have used is ‘anguished,’” Herbstreit said. “He looks frustrated, he looks very emotional and erratic. His team right now, we’re going to find out what they’re made out of.”