What’s Next for The Game? Ohio State-Michigan Rivalry Hits a Crossroads After Tumultuous Era
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The closing scene of this latest chapter in the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry wasn’t defined by fireworks or flag-planting. It was quieter, more calculated - and maybe more telling.
After Ohio State’s emphatic 27-9 win in Ann Arbor, Ryan Day made his way back to midfield for a second meeting with Michigan’s now-former head coach Sherrone Moore. The two had already exchanged the usual postgame handshakes, but Day returned with a message: it was time for the Wolverines to head back up the tunnel. Michigan players lingered, wary that the Buckeyes might try to plant their flag on the block "M" - a symbolic act that would’ve poured gasoline on a rivalry already burning hot.
Day reassured them that wouldn’t happen. And he meant it.
While he and his staff kept things in check on the field, much of the Buckeyes roster was already in the stands, celebrating with their fans. No taunts.
No theatrics. Just a statement win and a team that looked like it had finally exhaled after years of frustration.
That was the final image of what might be the most chaotic, emotionally charged stretch this rivalry has ever seen. A five-year run that included sign-stealing allegations, verbal jabs, national championship hopes, and enough animosity to fuel both fanbases year-round. Now, with Moore gone and Michigan searching for a new leader, The Game stands at a critical juncture.
Michigan’s Next Coach Must Define What The Game Means Now
For all the controversy and chaos, one thing is clear: Jim Harbaugh brought The Game back to national relevance. Say what you will about how he did it - and Buckeye fans certainly have their theories - but he flipped the script.
From 2001 through 2018, Ohio State owned this rivalry. Under Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer, the Buckeyes lost to Michigan just twice in 18 years. And one of those losses came in 2011, during the interim Luke Fickell season - a blip in an otherwise dominant run.
Harbaugh’s early tenure didn’t inspire much confidence. He dropped his first five games against Ohio State, and if not for the COVID-canceled 2020 matchup, he might’ve started 0-6.
But something shifted coming out of the pandemic. Michigan got tougher.
Sharper. More confident.
Harbaugh’s Wolverines rattled off three straight wins over Day’s Buckeyes, and then Moore kept the streak alive in 2024.
The rivalry had flipped. The mental edge belonged to Michigan.
And Day? He became the guy who couldn’t beat That Team Up North.
A label that would’ve seemed laughable just a few years ago.
Now, with a coaching vacancy in Ann Arbor, the next Michigan head coach inherits more than just a talented roster. They inherit a moment. A chance to define what this rivalry is going to be moving forward.
Will Michigan continue to push Ohio State the way Harbaugh did? Or will the Buckeyes reassert their dominance and make the Wolverines’ recent run look like a brief detour in an otherwise scarlet-and-gray decade?
Tone Matters: Will the New Era Be as Combative as the Last?
Let’s be honest - this rivalry hasn’t just been about football. It’s been about everything.
Urban Meyer made no secret of his disdain for Michigan, and Harbaugh leaned into that energy. He famously took a shot at Day, saying he was “born on third base” when he took over for Meyer.
He questioned Ohio State’s toughness - a jab that clearly stuck with Day, especially after the Buckeyes were outplayed in back-to-back losses.
Then came the sign-stealing scandal. Whatever Michigan gained from it - or didn’t - the fallout was undeniable.
The tension between the programs hit a new high. Every late-November matchup felt like a courtroom drama as much as a football game.
And the pressure on Day to prove Michigan’s success wasn’t legitimate? That was real.
You could see it in his face after last year’s loss in Columbus. You could hear it in his voice when he tried to explain what went wrong.
All of this played out in the age of social media - where every meme, every quote, every sideline reaction is dissected and weaponized. The rivalry didn’t just live on the field anymore. It lived online, in the comments, in the tweets, in the DMs.
So the question for Michigan’s next coach isn’t just “Can you win The Game?” It’s “How are you going to talk about it?”
How are you going to handle the noise? The history?
The heat?
Because Day, whether by design or necessity, changed his approach this season. He didn’t downplay The Game - that would’ve been a mistake - but he also didn’t let it consume his team.
He treated it like any other game on the schedule, at least publicly. And when the Buckeyes finally got their win, Day had a choice.
He could’ve taken a victory lap. He could’ve fired back at Harbaugh, at Michigan’s program, at everyone who questioned his ability to lead Ohio State.
He didn’t. Instead, he talked about humility - a word that’s rarely had a seat at this rivalry’s table.
A New Chapter Begins
The Game is never just a game. It’s a cultural event, a measuring stick, a referendum on both programs. And now, with Michigan at a crossroads and Ohio State seemingly back on top, the rivalry is primed for another evolution.
The next Michigan coach won’t just be tasked with winning games. They’ll be asked to define the tone, the tenor, and the trajectory of college football’s fiercest rivalry.
Will it be fire and fury again? Or something more measured? Will Michigan keep swinging, or will Ohio State reclaim the narrative?
One thing’s for sure - The Game isn’t going anywhere. But how it feels, how it’s played, and how it’s remembered? That’s all up for grabs.
And it starts with whoever walks through the doors in Ann Arbor next.