Bryce Underwood isn’t backing off a thing.
That was the message he delivered at Big Ten Media Day when asked whether he regrets the comments he made about Ohio State football. Underwood didn’t soften his stance, didn’t walk anything back, and didn’t try to clean up the trash talk that followed him into his freshman season.
“No. I don’t regret nothing I said.”
That’s a pretty fearless line for a quarterback who was held to 63 yards against the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor last season. Ohio State made its plan obvious that day: force Underwood to throw, and the game would tilt their way. They didn’t respect him as a passer, and the result backed that up.
Still, Underwood is standing on all of it. Even after that rough outing, he’s not taking back the words he used before ever becoming Michigan’s starter. And with the pressure now ramping up on him as a sophomore, that choice carries even more weight.
His freshman season wasn’t exactly the kind of stat line that quiets anybody. Underwood finished with 2,428 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He averaged under a touchdown per game as the starting quarterback of a Big Ten program, and that’s the reality hanging over him now.
The spring hasn’t helped calm things down, either. Underwood has reportedly looked bad enough that it’s fair to wonder whether he’ll even still be Michigan’s starting quarterback when the Wolverines head to Columbus in November. Ohio State fans, naturally, would love to see him there.
The Buckeyes already have their own quarterback situation in a much better place. Julian Sayin enters the season as one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and with a Heisman Finalist season behind him, the expectation is that he’ll be even better in year two as a starter.
There’s also another layer for Ohio State fans watching this play out. Tavien St. Clair, the number two quarterback recruit in the 2025 recruiting class, is expected to start next season, and he could wind up being the best quarterback from that class if Underwood doesn’t turn things around.
For now, Underwood has a few months to get ready for what will be a hostile environment in the Shoe in late November. Based on how things have gone so far, that trip feels like it could tell the story all over again.
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For a defense that always expects impact talent to show up early, Johnson is the latest reason for optimism. The Buckeyes do not need to be reminded what a difference a ready-made linebacker can make, but they are getting one anyway, and the only real question now is how quickly he turns all that recruiting buzz into production on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Fans Have Every Reason To Mock Michigans Latest Tone
At Big Ten Football Media Days, Kyle Whittingham took a notably calmer view of the sports biggest pressure-cooker games, saying rivalry matchups can be intense and emotional without crossing into personal hatred. The Michigan coach specifically said he does not hate Ohio State coach Ryan Day, framing the rivalry as a fierce competition that does not need to spill over into personal animosity.
For Buckeyes fans, the tone is hard to miss, especially given how much of the Ohio State-Michigan buildup usually leans into edge and emotion. Whittinghams comments leave room for the broader rivalry to stay heated on the field, but they also invite a familiar reaction from Columbus, where any hint of restraint in this matchup tends to become its own kind of punch line. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State's Biggest Big Ten Threat Might Surprise Buckeye Fans
Ohio State enters the season with the kind of familiar expectations that come with being a conference heavyweight, even if the Buckeyes have not won the Big Ten since 2020. Around the league, they are still being sized up as the favorite to reclaim the crown, and there is plenty of optimism that the offense can do its part if the line settles in and the key pieces perform the way they are supposed to.
Still, the more intriguing problem on the schedule may not come from the usual suspects. Indiana has emerged as a legitimate contender after a national-title run and has quickly earned respect under Curt Cignetti, enough to make this matchup feel like more than just another checkpoint on Ohio States path. For a team trying to get back on top of the Big Ten, the challenge may arrive in a place Buckeye fans might not have circled first. [Read more 🡒]