Ohio State football has dropped four straight matchups against Michigan, and that shadow still looms large over Ryan Day—even after delivering a national championship. The Buckeyes have plenty to celebrate from last season’s title run, but for many fans, no year feels complete without a win over “The Team Up North.”
Michigan supporters have been relentless with their trash talk, and their confidence has only grown during this streak. That makes this year’s trip to Ann Arbor even more critical for Ohio State.
Not everyone is convinced the Buckeyes can pull it off, though. Former Alabama coach Nick Saban believes Ohio State’s fixation on The Game is part of the problem. Speaking on the Pat McAfee Show, Saban said the Buckeyes are “too crazy” about the rivalry, and that obsession is exactly what’s been holding them back against the Wolverines.
Nick Saban recently said, “Ohio State getting beat by Michigan last year probably had as much to do with them winning a national championship as anything… They got this psychological disposition about Michigan that’s just killing them, killing them.”
Saban is right about one thing—Ohio State has always been consumed with beating Michigan. But that obsession isn’t new under Ryan Day. Every Buckeye coach before him has carried the same mindset. The difference is that others have executed better in The Game.
Last year, Day’s conservative approach cost them. Instead of leaning on his elite receivers, the Buckeyes tried to pound the ball into the heart of Michigan’s defense—the Wolverines’ greatest strength. It was a game plan doomed to fail.
But Day adjusted. Once he opened up the playbook and trusted his passing game during the College Football Playoff, Ohio State went on a historic tear, lighting up defenses with an unstoppable offense. That stretch proved he knows how to win at the highest level with the roster he has.
That’s why, despite the losing streak, Day will head to Ann Arbor with supreme confidence. Saban is wrong about the psychology—Ohio State hasn’t lost because they’re “too crazy” about Michigan. They’ve lost because Day was too tight in his approach. Now that he’s loosened up, the Buckeyes are built to flip the rivalry back in their favor.
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