In partnership with
We’ve got a two-for Rutgers recap posts, just like everyone expected!
OK, this is actually more of a Michigan pre-preview along with a continuation of Friday’s post.
It will probably be a quick one to get you going on a Monday, too, but we’ll see how long I ramble on…
After spending the past few weeks or more wondering if Ryan Day is taking the wrong approach with the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, Saturday provided some welcome counterpoints.
I thought he might say something like, “They’re all important, and this is the next one on the schedule,” or “We want to win every game the same,” but that is not what happened.
“They’re always in the back of our mind in terms of what we’re working towards. We know this is the last game of the year and what it means to everybody here.”
He could have said he kept his focus on the Scarlet Knights until the clock ran out, but he did not do that either.
“Yeah, it doesn’t take long in the fourth quarter. Once the game is in hand, everybody starts figuring out this thing is coming fast, and there was just a good look in everybody’s eye in the locker room, man.
“We’re excited about this one, and we just need to focus on what really matters and everybody just doing their job and going on the road and what's going to be a great environment and going to get it done. So that'll be the focus, and we'll continue to do what we've done all year.”
OK, that is pretty much exactly what I wanted to hear.
I still think “normalizing” Michigan week is a bad concept, but it was good to know they aren’t trying to just flip the switch this week now that the game is at hand.
If the goal is to respect the rivalry without being enveloped by it, that has to be established way before this week.
That is not an easy needle to thread, I admit, but if you lived through the Jim Tressel era, you know it can be done.
Urban Meyer had his own methods, and really his teams didn’t play all that well in The Game, especially when they were big favorites.
(ALERT: HERE COMES AN AD! And if you click that ad, you don’t have to buy anything, but I will get some compensation anyway. Just sayin’…)
Glow through the holidays with 24-hour hydration
This season, give your skin and body the gift of true balance. Cooler weather, busy days, and holiday indulgence can leave you depleted—but Pique’s Deep Hydration Protocol restores hydration, calm, and radiance from the inside out.
Each morning, B·T Fountain floods your skin with clinically proven ceramides and low molecular weight hyaluronic acid for deep, lasting hydration and all-day glow. Each night, R·E Fountain melts away stress with Pique’s Triple Biomaxed™ Magnesium—calming the mind and supporting deep, restorative sleep. Together, they deliver round-the-clock hydration, balance, and renewal you can feel.
This is more than skincare—it’s a daily ritual for beauty, energy, and wellbeing.
Now through December 6, enjoy 20% off sitewide for life plus a free Indulgence Edit Gift Set when you spend $250.
✨ Hydrate. Restore. Glow.
I actually remember someone asking Day at Big Ten Media Days in 2019 in Chicago if he was going to change anything about how Meyer approached Michigan, and he literally scoffed at the notion.
“Uh, no. 7-0. I think we’ll keep doing that,” was essentially his response.
But he’s put his on stamp on the program in many ways, mostly for the better. There have been questions about whether or not the Buckeyes are physical enough in practice, and they are hard to refute since we don’t actually get to watch those, but the diversification of the offense is welcome.
The defense got fixed after a rough couple of seasons, and special teams might even be coming around this season.
A slightly kinder, gentler approach to the hard-charging Meyer might be necessary in this new age of athlete compensation and nearly unfettered player movement, too.
Day has taken some lumps (despite his gaudy overall record) and learned some hard lessons under the intense scrutiny of the job, but he has a national championship to his credit with another in his sights.
If he had coached enough seasons to qualify, he would have the highest winning percentage of any college football coach ever.
So, you know, Day has done a few things right in his time in the big chair.
But also: Beat Michigan.