COLUMBUS, Ohio — Michigan’s sign-stealing saga has finally reached its conclusion, with the Wolverines handed a punishment that’s bound to spark strong feelings no matter where your loyalties lie.
If you’re in Michigan’s corner, the outcome probably feels like the best-case scenario. In plain terms: you lose some postseason revenue, your head coach is sidelined for just three games spread across two seasons, and—crucially—you get to choose which games he misses.
If you’re on Ohio State’s side, though, this likely feels like a gut punch. Four years ago, the Wolverines swung the rivalry back in their favor. Two years ago, you started to suspect they didn’t do it entirely above board. You still can’t stomach the most recent loss, and the previous three now sit under a cloud you can’t ignore. To you, this was the NCAA’s chance to prove it still holds real authority in the modern college sports landscape by delivering the justice you believe was owed.
In the end, nothing changes. Those four losses remain etched in the record books, and for many Ohio State fans, the sting will linger. It will feel like Jim Harbaugh, Conner Stallions, and the rest of the Michigan program walked away without paying the full price. And for the Buckeyes faithful, the frustration cuts deepest—legacies now carry an asterisk you’ll never be able to erase.
The best move for Ohio State now is forward. Ryan Day is a national championship-winning head coach with a roster talented enough to make another run, even if it’s young and untested. That blemish in The Game may be the lone dark spot on an otherwise sterling résumé—one that can stand beside the best in college football history—but it’s still his to bear.
He knows it, too. Asked at Big Ten Media Days how to finally beat Michigan, Day took a sip of water and deadpanned, “Score more points than them.”
Still, the reality remains: Day is 1–4 against the Wolverines. No matter the circumstances surrounding those losses, the NCAA chose not to erase them. So the chapter closes here, and the Buckeyes turn the page.
Now, it’s about the next chance—Nov. 29 in Ann Arbor—when Day begins the work of doing what Harbaugh did in 2021: flipping the rivalry’s balance. The past can’t be rewritten, but the future is still there to be won.
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