Does Ohio State football care too much about Michigan? And can Ryan Day end the skid with his new approach?

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football coach Ryan Day, almost exactly a year ago, stood inside Ohio Stadium and watched in shock as the chaos he helped cause unfolded around him.

Michigan players, fresh off a shocking 13-10 upset win against their rival, planted a flag at midfield while select Buckeyes tried to fight back. Law enforcement got involved, with officers deploying pepper spray against athletes.

From the stands, the Ohio State faithful shouted at their coach, hollering words not safe for print while expressing thoughts unrelated to play calls.

The Buckeyes had suffered their fourth consecutive loss against the Wolverines on a campus where the letter M is crossed off all university signs and wearing blue is frowned upon.

A scene straight out of “Peaky Blinders” ensued, adding to the sour taste of what was supposed to be a redemptive afternoon for Day and his players.

The Game defines legacies for those coaching in it, and with perhaps his most talented roster in six years as OSU’s head coach, Day was supposed to put the losing streak to rest last season. The Buckeyes were a three-touchdown favorite, and Jim Harbaugh — the former Michigan coach who questioned Day’s credibility and tested OSU’s toughness before leaving for the NFL — was no longer there.

Instead, Ohio State lost, creating perhaps the most horrific scene in recent college football history.

“Everything that could’ve gone wrong went wrong,” OSU athletic director Ross Bjork said recently when he spoke on an on-campus panel.

The Buckeyes did rebound from that loss and went on to win the ninth national title in program history.

But 10 months later, as top-ranked Ohio State (11-0) prepares to play at Michigan (9-2) at noon Saturday, there’s no denying it: Day, who’s 1-4 against The Team Up North, has a Michigan problem.

Could part of the problem be that Ohio State cares too much about Michigan? Do the Buckeyes put too much emphasis on how important The Game is?

Day thinks there could be something to that.

And this week, he’s hoping to change the game’s result by not changing his team’s approach.

How Ohio State shows it cares about Michigan

Bjork started working at Ohio State in January 2024. In one of his first days on the job, he prepared to join his predecessor, Gene Smith, in riding over to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

Bjork went into his office to grab his blazer before the two made the trip. That’s when he learned an early lesson about The Game’s magnitude.

“Don’t wear that,” Smith told him. “Put that away. That has blue in it. They’ll kick you out of the Woody Hayes Center if you wear blue.”

Ryan Day is 1-4 against Michigan as Ohio State football coach. AP

The rivalry is woven into the identity of Buckeyes, and those who grew up in the state, such as former Ohio State running back Beanie Wells (2006-08), take extra pride in beating the Wolverines.

Wells went undefeated against Michigan, but he lost a pair of national championship games. When asked recently if he’d trade a pair of gold pants — the gift given to OSU players for winning The Game — for a national title, he didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Probably not,” he said while speaking on the same panel as Bjork. Even the panel was held in context of the rivalry, as Ohio State’s student paper, The Lantern, competes with its rival’s equivalent, The Michigan Daily, to raise money.

Players such as Wells never shied away from expressing their distaste for and desire to beat Michigan, but they didn’t allow the emotion to get in their way.

“When the ball kicks off, you have to have that in you a little bit. You have to have that hate in you because they’re the opponent,” Bjork said. “They’re the rival. It defines a lot of things. Channeling it in the right ways is what it really should be about.”

Day wants his team to do just that, and he’s hoping a different Michigan week schedule helps produce a promising result.

Ohio State football is choosing routine over rituals

Ohio State football hasn’t beaten Michigan since 2019.AP

Ohio State’s players are off Mondays after games. They then practice Tuesday-Thursday before settling down Friday.

Michigan week hasn’t typically worked that way.

In the past, the Buckeyes have dedicated a day to having their band visit the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. This year, the tradition — which is highlighted by the starting quarterback conducting the band — moved to Ohio State’s second bye week.

The final practice of the regular season has normally featured senior tackle. The tradition, which dates back to 1913, gives seniors an opportunity to hit the blocking sled a final time with family often in attendance. That moved to bowl season last year.

Media availability often took place on the Monday before The Game with Day and select players speaking to reporters. This year, Ohio State will follow its usual schedule, with Day speaking on Tuesday and Wednesday and captains speaking Wednesday after practice.

By changing Ohio State’s routine for Michigan week, Day is allowing the Buckeyes to follow their usual routine.

“If we have too many things in a week that are different, then it gets you out of your routine,” Day said recently. “So, we try to have certain things that don’t change.”

Former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh seemingly took shots at Ryan Day while the two overlapped in the rivalry. AP

Bjork, who publicly stood by his coach following the aftermath of last season’s loss, backs Day in these decisions as well.

“I love the way Coach Day approaches all of this,” Bjork said. “He’s learned a lot over the last six years as the head coach. We hope we can turn the page.”

Kelsey Dawson, a former member of the Buckeyes’ swim team who earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Ohio State in 2013, believes routine is a critical element for athletes.

Its importance ranges from everyday life — things you do after waking up each morning — to the gridiron, including pre-snap rituals and pre-game routines.

For Ohio State, a seemingly minuscule decision to move a media availability could go a long way in helping Day improve his record against Michigan.

“Our brains and our bodies love routine,” Dawson told cleveland.com. “You can see it even just with little kids. Toddlers are perfect examples, listening to the same song 30 times over, but it’s predictable. It gives us a sense of calm.”

Day is taking an untraditional approach to upholding one of Ohio State’s most beloved traditions: beating Michigan.

He knows losing to the Wolverines five years in a row would diminish his legacy, so he’s leaning on change, or a lack thereof, to keep that from happening.

By not overthinking it, Ohio State hopes it can win the game it thinks about most.

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