It’s also possible that the Block M Padlock has denied the Buckeyes access to Lucas Oil Stadium the past four seasons, as a loss in The Game has kept Ohio State out of Indianapolis in December.
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Ryan Day has an 81-10 record as Ohio State’s head coach since he stepped in for the suspended Urban Meyer to start the 2018 season, but he is just 1-4 against the Wolverines.
Last season, the Buckeyes faced a flagging Michigan team at home and – despite the Wolverines’ revolving door at quarterback and the loss of a program-record 13 draftees from their 2023 national championship team – delivered a season-defining, player-led meeting that propelled Ohio State to win it all.
Michigan has caused Day well-documented suffering.
On Tuesday, four days before this year’s game in Ann Arbor, he was asked if it was fun to be Ohio State’s head coach in the last week of November.
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“The point is to have fun, and that’s what we want to do on Saturday. So that’s what we’re preparing to do,” Day said. “And that’s all. There’s nothing funny about it.
“The fun part is winning. We’ll keep the fun of being in the locker room and celebrating after the game. But the preparation, that’s what you love. You love the competitive part of it and everything that comes with it.”
Confidence is a necessity at this time of year, Day stressed in his weekly press conference. He had no shortage of it when talking to journalists.
The Buckeyes are the top-ranked team in the country this year. Following its first national championship following the 2014 season, Ohio State saw an exodus of talent for the draft last season. Additionally, its offensive and defensive coordinators took new jobs. However, the Buckeyes left no stone unturned.
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Under the direction of new DC Matt Patricia, undefeated Ohio State is allowing 7.6 points per game, the fewest of any FBS team this season. On the other side of the ball, quarterback Julian Cynon is completing a nation-leading 79.4% of his passes and is a Heisman Trophy candidate.
Sain will face another first-year starter in the Big House on Saturday. Bryce Underwood, Rivals’ No. 1 prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, has quarterbacked Michigan to a 9-2 record that includes a 7-1 mark in conference competition. The Wolverines, ranked No. 15 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, can still reach the Big Ten title game, but they need a win over the Buckeyes and a loss to No. 2 Indiana or No. 6 Oregon.
Michigan, which won three consecutive Big Ten championships from 2021 to 2023, is led by Sharon Moore, who has already replaced Day twice: first as a replacement for the suspended Jim Harbaugh and then as the full-time head coach last season.
“I just know that being part of a rivalry, the other games don’t matter,” Moore said Monday, via On3.
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“Whatever happened in the past doesn’t matter. So we can only focus on now. It’s a new team, new staff, new players, new coaches. … We can only focus on today and that’s it.”
Day had a similar response Tuesday when asked about the lessons learned from last season’s loss to Michigan and the player-led meeting that followed.
Although he acknowledged the value of learning from past experience, he did not dwell on it. Instead, what stood out was his message to his quarterback: “Just win.”
Ohio State has faced trouble against Michigan when it has tried to beat the Wolverines in recent years. Michigan particularly dominated at the line of scrimmage in a 13–10 victory at Ohio Stadium last season.
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Day knows full well the talent he will be facing this week. He singled out Michigan running back Jordan Marshall as well as the Wolverines’ offensive line, and described edge Derrick Moore and linebacker Jayshawn Barham as “two of the best pass rushers in the country.”
“Talent in all three phases, well-coached,” Day said of Michigan, “and yes, we have to make sure we are preparing at a high level this week and playing our best.”
What Ohio State has done over the last four years is not be good enough in sports. The college football world will be eager to see Saturday if Day can finally enjoy rivalry week.
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