Michigan’s stumble at Minnesota has taken a lot of the juice out of this year’s version of “The Game.”
The Wolverines fell 20-14 in Minneapolis and are now 3-2, a record that already feels misleading. They should be 2-3, but an extra second on the clock and a Bryce Underwood prayer against Western Michigan in Week 1 bailed them out once. That kind of margin for error is gone now.
What used to look like a potential College Football Playoff eliminator between Ohio State and TTUN doesn’t really carry that weight anymore. Michigan’s first five weeks have done the damage.
The Wolverines are probably not officially out of the CFP race yet, but another loss would almost certainly finish the job. And with Indiana, Oregon, and UCLA still ahead before the trip to Columbus in November, that next loss feels inevitable.
Underwood is at the center of it all, and the results just aren’t there. The freshman quarterback has obvious talent, but it’s not clicking in Maize and Blue. Against Minnesota, he threw two second-half interceptions that killed whatever momentum Michigan had and finished 10 of 21 passing.
That tracks with what Kyle Whittingham said before the Oklahoma game, when he made clear that Underwood’s grip on the QB1 job wasn’t permanent.
"He's our QB right now, and you know, it's not something that's infinite. At some point, we've got to turn a corner, and we've got to see improvement, as we do with a bunch of stuff. We've got to see improvement out of the coaches," Whittingham said before the Oklahoma game.
Maybe the win over the Sooners only delayed the inevitable. Underwood wasn’t especially sharp in that game either.
And he’s not the only issue. Freshman running back Savion Hiter has had just one solid outing for a 5-star recruit, and that came against UTEP. The ground game has been quiet, and the offensive line hasn’t done enough in pass protection to hold things together.
The odd twist is that Ohio State may actually carry more pressure into this rivalry game now. A loss to TTUN in November would look even worse for Ryan Day and company given where Michigan stands. The Wolverines don’t appear to have any major edge, and they’ve got a lot of catching up to do before they get to Columbus.
Still, the result would sting. Day’s history in “The Game” means nothing can be dismissed outright.
At the same time, it’s tough to picture Ohio State losing. The Buckeyes’ run defense would have to drop well below even the level it showed against Illinois last week.
Their protection would need to buckle against a Michigan pass rush trying to carry the whole load. Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin would have to suddenly forget how to play football.
Then again, never say never. A 5-6 TTUN knocked off the eventual national champions just two years ago.
Week 13 isn’t what it should have been. But after the close call against Western Michigan and the loss to Minnesota, it’s probably close to what plenty of people saw coming.
“The Game” is no longer a CFP eliminator.
The stakes are a lot lighter now.
In Other News...
Ryan Day Just Got Pulled Into A New Big Noon Controversy
Big Noon Kickoff found itself in an unexpected swirl this week after Dave Portnoy and Big Cat were reportedly removed from the FOX pregame show, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. The move adds another layer to a show that already sits close to the center of the college football conversation, especially for Ohio State fans who follow every storyline around Ryan Day and the national spotlight that comes with it.
Portnoy then took to social media with a striking claim, saying Day had pressured the Big Ten and FOX to get him fired, though Ohio State has denied any role in the decision. FOX is still set to feature Urban Meyer and the rest of its main Big Noon Kickoff desk as planned, but the episode has only sharpened the attention around how much influence coaches, networks and personalities really have when those worlds collide. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Fans Have A Smarter Way To Stream Iowa This Weekend
With Ohio State set to meet Iowa on Oct. 3, plenty of Buckeyes fans will be looking for the easiest way to catch the game without relying on a traditional cable bundle. The streaming options are fairly broad, with services such as YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo and DIRECTV MySports all offering different combinations of live channels, pricing and trial offers for viewers trying to line up the right setup before kickoff.
For fans who want a more tailored approach, the key is matching the service to the channel carrying the game and balancing that against the monthly cost and any free trial window. Some platforms lean on channel-rich packages while others aim at viewers who only need a narrower live-sports option, so the best choice may come down to how long someone wants to keep the subscription and whether they need more than just this one matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Enters Brutal October With A Top Four Doubt
Ohio State heads into a punishing October with plenty of talent and just enough unease to keep the conversation going. The Buckeyes are sitting at No. 5, and while they have shown dominant stretches against Power 4 competition, the early read has not been spotless. There is still real confidence in the top-end pieces, and the offense has produced at a strong clip under new play-caller Arthur Smith, but the broader picture has been a mix of impressive bursts and lingering questions.
Desmond Howard added to that skepticism ahead of the Week 5 game against Iowa, casting doubt on whether Ohio State has enough consistency to climb above its current spot. The coming stretch will tell a lot, because this is the kind of schedule that exposes whether a team is truly built for a top-four finish or simply looks the part in flashes. For the Buckeyes, the month ahead is less about style points and more about proving the whole operation can travel through one of the toughest slates in the country. [Read more 🡒]