Ohio State has plenty to worry about in the present, starting with Julian Sayin’s throwing shoulder injury. But if Buckeye fans are looking for a silver lining in Ann Arbor, Kyle Whittingham is doing his best to provide one.
The Wolverines are 4-3, a mark Whittingham keeps framing as something far better than it looks. After home losses to Indiana and Iowa and a road loss to Minnesota, he brushed off the panic Monday with a familiar line: the season is still there if a few plays go the other way.
"Right now it's not the time to panic. We're a play away from 6-1 or 7-0," Whittingham said Monday during media availability.
That’s the kind of message that tells you everything about the temperature in the program. If three losses still don’t trigger urgency, then four probably won’t either. Anything less than a run to the finish line ought to be unacceptable at TTUN, but maybe the standard has dropped so much since Jim Harbaugh left that this is simply where things are now.
There’s also the money side of it, and that matters too. Whittingham’s five-year, $41 million contract includes a buyout clause that would require Michigan to pay him 75% of his remaining base salary if he’s fired without cause. Right now, that figure sits at $25.8 million.
With the amount of revenue that flows through TTUN every year, keeping Whittingham may actually be the more appealing option than paying $25.8 million just to move on after what would not even be a full season of complete collapse. A change could spark spending and new energy, sure. But leaving Whittingham in place might be the slower burn - the kind that drains resources while the program keeps sliding without ever quite finding a true reset.
For Ohio State, that’s not the worst outcome.
And then there’s the way Whittingham talks about "The Game." That alone should be enough to make Buckeye fans root for continuity in Ann Arbor. At the 2026 Big Ten Football Media Days in Chicago this past August, he made it clear he doesn’t see the rivalry through the same hard-edged lens most people on either side expect.
“Hate is a strong word, but I want to win that game as badly as anybody in Ann Arbor. ... I just think a rivalry can be intense and emotional without the hatred factor.
I don’t think there’s any place for that personally. I think Ryan Day is a good person.
To sit here and say I hate Ryan Day, I’d be making crap up because that’s not true," Whittingham said.
That’s not the kind of answer that suggests a coach who fully understands what this rivalry demands. From the Ohio State side, that’s fine. In fact, it’s ideal.
The longer Whittingham stays, the easier it is for Buckeye Nation to view Michigan as less of a threat and more of a program drifting without the edge to become something dangerous.
In Other News...
Ohio State Could Revisit A Familiar Ole Miss Transfer Path
The transfer pipeline from Oxford to Columbus has already worked once for Ohio State, and it could be a path worth watching again if Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy decides his future is elsewhere. Quinshon Judkins made the jump from Ole Miss to Ohio State in 2023 and quickly became part of the Buckeyes productive backfield rotation, giving the program a clear example of how a proven SEC runner can fit into its system.
Lacys shoulder injury has only added more uncertainty around his next move, with speculation swirling about whether he could eventually enter the transfer portal or even look toward the NFL Draft. For Ohio State, the interest is obvious if he becomes available, but for now it remains just that, a possibility rather than a pursuit, with the Buckeyes and everyone else waiting to see how his situation unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Got A New Warning About USC Trip
USCs offense hit an unusual wall against Wisconsin, and that should at least sharpen Ohio States attention ahead of its trip west. In a loss that doubled as the lowest-scoring outing of the Lincoln Riley era, the Trojans were held to seven points and 241 total yards, with Wisconsin making a clear point of attacking the run game first and then getting after quarterback Jayden Maiava.
For Ohio State, the lesson is less about copying Wisconsin and more about seeing a workable blueprint. USC still has the pieces to stress a defense in a hurry, but when the running game gets bogged down and Maiava feels pressure, the whole operation can stall. That gives the Buckeyes a useful warning before they walk into the matchup, because stopping the early rhythm may matter just as much as dealing with the explosive plays everyone expects. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Heads To USC With Two Defensive Questions Lingering
Ohio States trip to USC is arriving with a familiar kind of October tension: a big road test, a short turnaround and a growing injury list after the Buckeyes win over Indiana. The latest concern on offense is Julian Sayin, whose injury appears likely to end his season, but the defensive side is carrying its own uncertainty as Ryan Day tries to sort out who will be available in Los Angeles.
Jay Timmons and Kenyatta Jackson are the names that now hang over the matchup, with Day offering only an update that leaves their status up in the air. For a Buckeyes team that is still trying to keep its focus on the next opponent, the timing matters because USC is the kind of game where every available body on defense matters, and Ohio State may not know its full plan until later in the week. [Read more 🡒]