Your Michigan-Ohio State rivalry questions answered: Will The Game become like Duke-UNC?

There are only 176 days until the 122nd installment of Michigan versus Ohio State.

There’s never a bad time to talk about The Game, both the rivalry’s history and the upcoming matchup. Here, Michigan expert Austin Meek and Ohio State expert Cameron Teague Robinson answer your questions about the Wolverines, Buckeyes and The Athletic’s No. 1 college football rivalry.

Editor’s note: Questions may have been edited for clarity and length.

Is Duke–North Carolina the best model for what Michigan–Ohio State becomes in the expanded Playoff era? The rivalry would still be enormous, but losing The Game might no longer end a season, and rematches could become common. Does that ultimately strengthen the rivalry by creating more chapters, or weaken it by reducing the all-or-nothing stakes that have defined it for so long? — Chris K. 

Meek: Let’s bring this closer to home. When Michigan and Michigan State played on the final Sunday of the men’s basketball regular season, the Wolverines had clinched the Big Ten championship outright, and both teams were in position for high seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Did the game still matter? You bet it did.

That’s the optimistic view of what the Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry might become if a 24-team College Football Playoff happens. Granted, college football and college basketball are very different sports. Basketball lends itself to short bursts of intensity, whereas football is more like a long, slow ground campaign. Great basketball teams can dial up the intensity to nine or 10, take a day or two to recover, and then do it again. The Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry demands a level of intensity that’s only justifiable if The Game counts for everything.

I fully expected fans to disagree with my take that Michigan and Ohio State should move The Game to midseason if the CFP expands. If you want to read that column as an argument against a 24-team CFP, go right ahead. When I wrote it, I was thinking about the two Michigan-Michigan State basketball games last season. They both mattered, but the game in late January felt bigger to me, mainly because both teams had more up for grabs. I wonder if a 24-team CFP would create a similar dynamic in football.

Teague Robinson: I grew up a Duke basketball fan because of Jay Williams, so I feel like I can actually give some fan insight into this. I remember countless times watching Duke-North Carolina and yelling at the TV. Our wing in my college residence hall at Bowling Green used to take over conference rooms in our dorm to watch that game. I don’t think it matters whether it’s a regular-season game or in the Final Four like in 2022 — those games always matter. Same with Ohio State and Michigan.

Nobody will ever sit star players. Remember all the flak Ryan Day took even after winning the 2024 national championship? Nothing matters more than winning The Game, so I don’t think it will weaken the rivalry. Instead, think about a potential Ohio State-Michigan semifinal like Duke and North Carolina got in 2022. (And imagine if it’s the last game of a coach’s career like it was for Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.) The bragging rights would be enormous. I’m all for a Playoff rematch.

Which player from each team that we may not have heard much about will have the most impact? — Larry W. 

Meek: It depends — who’s “we?” Michigan fans have heard plenty about running back Savion Hiter, wide receiver JJ Buchanan and offensive tackle Andrew Babalola, even if they’re not yet household names. I won’t be surprised if all three of those players have significant roles by the end of the season, if not from Day 1.

Going a little deeper, I could see one of Michigan’s second-year linebackers, Chase Taylor or Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, becoming a major contributor on defense. If I have to pick one player, I’ll go with defensive end Dominic Nichols. Kyle Whittingham described him as a potential All-Big Ten player, and he showed flashes of that last year as a sophomore with 5.5 tackles for loss. He could be the pass rusher Michigan needs to play opposite John Henry Daley.

Teague Robinson: There are a few names who should make an impact by that point of the season, like Georgia transfer cornerback Dominick Kelly and Ohio transfer tight end Mason Williams. Returning players like linebacker Payton Pierce and defensive tackle Eddrick Houston should hit their stride by that time, as well.

I’m going to pick one returning player on defense and one on offense. If Ohio State is going to be at its best, it’ll need to get offensive tackle Ian Moore on the field. If you give the Buckeyes 11 games to figure out the best offensive line grouping, Moore should be a starter, defending either Julian Sayin’s blind side or right tackle. On defense, I’m going with tackle Will Smith Jr. Big Ten defensive lineman of the year Kayden McDonald isn’t walking back through that door, so Ohio State will need a rotation inside to make up for his production. I’m not sure if Smith will be the starting 3-tech, but after a good spring, it’s safe to say he’ll be in the two-deep and the Buckeyes will need to rotate to slow down the Michigan running game.

If you had the chance to steal one player from your rival’s roster, who would it be and why? — Nik B.

Meek: Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that All-American receiver Jeremiah Smith (the best player on either team) is off-limits. There’s a case for taking Julian Sayin, who outplayed Bryce Underwood in all areas last year. Sayin would be an upgrade, but is doubling up on five-star talents at quarterback the smartest play? I’m not sure.

I could see Michigan going for an instant-impact player on defense like safety Jaylen McClain or cornerback Devin Sanchez, or maybe defensive end Kenyatta Jackson. Personally, I’d go with Chris Henry Jr., the five-star freshman who looks like Ohio State’s next great wide receiver. Michigan has upgraded its receiving corps, but the Wolverines aren’t pulling from the same talent pool as the Buckeyes at that position. Plus, he could be in the program for three or four years instead of one or two.

Teague Robinson: I’m torn between two players for Ohio State.

Imagining a Bo Jackson and Jordan Marshall combo in the backfield would take Ohio State’s offense to another level, especially with Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator. I’m not sure that would be great for Ohio State’s future, though, because it is recruiting five-star David Gabriel-Georges, and who knows how that might impact the Tennessee native’s desire to sign.

Ohio State could use a player like defensive end John Henry Daley. The Utah transfer has two years of eligibility left after a stellar 2025 season at Utah with 51 pressures, 17.5 tackles for a loss and 11.5 sacks. Putting him opposite Kenyatta Jackson would put fear in opposing offensive lines. Ohio State has some talented edge rushers like Beau Atkinson, who transferred from North Carolina last year, sophomore Zion Grady and Alabama transfer Qua Russaw. Still, Daley had more tackles for a loss and sacks than those three combined.

Back in the day, we heard that Ohio State was obsessively focused all year on The Game and Michigan didn’t take it seriously enough. Recently, we heard that Ohio State was too obsessed with it and played tightly and that Ryan Day finally won again by treating it more routinely. How should a new coach like KW approach things with his team? — John C

Meek: I don’t see Kyle Whittingham being obsessed with Ohio State the way Jim Harbaugh was. Honestly, that might not be a bad thing.

Sherrone Moore beat Ohio State twice, once filling in for Harbaugh, then again in his first season as head coach. Perhaps those wins against the Buckeyes made it easier for Michigan to overlook Moore’s shortcomings as a coach. Michigan needed to be a lot better on the other 364 days of the year, and hiring an experienced coach like Whittingham should help with that.

The right mental approach is important, but I’m always skeptical of the post-hoc explanations about one team caring too much or too little about The Game. The goal is to build a team that’s mentally and physically tough enough to handle the pressure of the rivalry. Toughness is Whittingham’s calling card, which should serve Michigan well against the Buckeyes.

Teague Robinson: Let’s be honest: How much can we actually minimize the rivalry game when players at Ohio State are taught they can’t even say Michigan or wear blue in the team facility? Same with Michigan players being prepared to protect their logo a year after a brawl started in Columbus because they wanted to plant a flag.

This rivalry is always on everybody’s mind, but I do think trying to treat the week of The Game the same as every other week makes sense. I did like that approach by Day last year, and I think it kept his team a bit looser. If I’m Whittingham, I probably take that note from Day, but the second you step into the stadium and hear the boos or cheers, nothing else matters other than which team is going to fight more.

What are your favorite games in the rivalry’s history? — Brian F

Meek: I have a vivid memory of being 13, sitting in my basement and watching Charles Woodson’s punt return in 1997. I didn’t follow either team growing up, so I don’t have many specific recollections outside of that one. In terms of the rivalry games I’ve covered, the ones in Columbus stand out more than the ones in Ann Arbor, mostly because Ohio State lets reporters go down to the field for the end of the fourth quarter. I was standing a few feet away from Mike Sainristil’s deflection in 2022. If you look at the replay, I’m right behind Lee Corso. I was also right in the middle of the brawl after the 2024 game. I wouldn’t call that my favorite game, but it was definitely one of the most memorable.

Teague Robinson: It’ll be hard to top the 2016 game. Despite growing up in Cleveland, I was never an Ohio State fan. Still, when I moved to Missouri in 2016, I was always tuned into the rivalry. On that day, I was in my old newsroom’s sports department. I remember how one of my coworkers and I stopped what we were doing and locked in from the moment Tyler Durbin missed the field goal with seven minutes to play. I’ll never forget my jaw dropping when I thought J.T. Barrett was short on fourth-and-1, kneeling in front of the TV as they reviewed it, and then being shocked all over again when Curtis Samuel scored on the next play to win.

I think that’s probably my second favorite college football game of all time, right behind seven-overtime LSU-Texas A&M in 2018.

If I’m ranking my top three versions of the rivalry, it’s probably 2016 first. The 2006 1-versus-2 game has to be second. I’ll put 2024 third because it has a special place in my heart professionally, from the major upset to watching the brawl to covering the drama facing OSU afterward to then hearing the discourse about it for a year, even after Ohio State won the national title.