Kyle Whittingham has made it clear he does not think hatred is a requirement to win the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, and that stance is only keeping the conversation going.
Whittingham doubled down on that idea in recent comments, saying he does not need to hate the Buckeyes in order to beat them.
“Do we have a better chance of winning if I hated them? I don’t understand.
Whatever gives us the best chance to win, I’m all for it. I want to beat them worse than anybody.
I don't know how that got to be such a hot topic."
He also said, “Do we have a better chance of winning if I hated them? I don’t understand.
Whatever gives us the best chance to win, I’m all for it. I want to beat them worse than anybody.
I don't know how that got to be such a hot topic."
The comments have only reinforced the sense that Whittingham is approaching the rivalry differently than Ohio State fans expect. The Buckeyes and Wolverines have been at each other for generations, with the source material framing it as a relationship built on hate that goes back before the 1900s. Ryan Day, according to the same reporting, hates TTUN more than any other school on the schedule.
Whittingham’s ties to Urban Meyer would seem to put him in familiar territory. Meyer, who is described here as someone who “famously hates TTUN while having an enormous amount of respect for them,” went undefeated against TTUN during his Ohio State tenure, and that attitude is held up as part of what made him effective in the rivalry.
But Whittingham does not sound like he is leaning into that kind of mindset. That leaves questions about how prepared he’ll be when TTUN travels to Columbus for The Game later this year.
Ohio State is already treating fall camp as part of the buildup. The Buckeyes’ new offensive system reportedly includes a lot of motion, which could create problems for the new Michigan defense. The source also suggests Bryce Underwood may force Whittingham to change quarterbacks by the end of the year.
Ryan Day, meanwhile, appears to have gained confidence after the dominant performance in Ann Arbor a year ago. The source says that win should give Ohio State belief that it can beat TTUN now that the Wolverines do not know what plays the Buckeyes are running.
Whittingham is 66 years old, and the article notes that he is not expected to be a long-term answer in Ann Arbor. If the losses pile up, the piece suggests his time in charge could be shorter than fans expected, and even says too many losses could make him permanently retire from football.
For now, though, Ohio State fans are enjoying the whole thing. The source’s takeaway is simple: if a coach on the other sideline does not fully grasp the rivalry, Buckeye fans will be more than happy to welcome it.
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