Mike Germanese
Writer
The Ohio State-Michigan game is considered one of the most heated rivalries in all of sports. But after last season, it appeared the rivalry was starting to lose some of its luster. Ohio State made a national championship run despite losing “The Game” as more than a 20-point favorite. As Ryan Day lifted the trophy, the cries for his job stopped, and an Ohio State coach who’s 1-4 against Michigan was instead handed a contract extension.
It was no longer “The Game” that was the only game that mattered; Ohio State losing that game back on Thanksgiving weekend was forgotten, nothing more than a distant memory. Rightfully so, considering nothing means more than a national championship. But with that championship, winning “The Game” lost its significance. No longer is “The Game” a season-defining game. That was until the past few weeks, when fuel was added to the fire, rekindling the meaning behind the game right back to where it was.
Since the sign-stealing investigation broke, Ohio State fans held hope that Michigan’s accomplishments would be vacated, becoming nothing more than a memory. The NCAA was going to use Michigan to cling to the power it once had by dropping that hammer. The hammer of Thor that Buckeyes fans believed all along would silence their rivals never came. Instead, the hammer the NCAA was swinging turned out to be nothing more than a Fisher-Price toy.
The NCAA found there was sufficient ground for a multi-year postseason ban. Yet Michigan only received a fine of upwards of $30 million, show-cause penalties for Jim Harbaugh and Connor Stalions, four years of probation, and a 3-game suspension for Sherrone Moore. For Moore, the first two games were picked by the Michigan program; the third game won’t be served until the 2026 season.
It was nothing like the hammer the Wolverines’ rivals wanted. After the penalties were announced, one Ohio State writer even tried to turn the press conference into a town hall to vent. The lack of punishment is a hard pill to swallow for Ohio State, considering they missed out on a national championship because a few players got tattoos. Now, Ohio State fans must listen to Michigan fans gloat and face the reality that the 2023 national championship will forever be defined as one of the greatest teams to ever play the game, no asterisk. If Ohio State ever needed motivation on the field, they got it while fans got another reason to hate Michigan.
News broke this week that Barstool founder and Michigan alum Dave Portnoy was banned from Ohio Stadium despite being on the Fox Big Noon kickoff. The news quickly changed that Ohio State never banned him; instead, it was Fox who decided not to put Portnoy on the stage inside the stadium. Portnoy quickly called an emergency press conference on social media to say Barstool was banned from Columbus, and so was he, despite what’s being said.
Regardless of the truth, Michigan fans ran with the soft stereotype in describing the Ohio State program. Portnoy added fuel to the fire, pushing the soft narrative, claiming this is why Michigan beats Ohio State every year despite Ohio State holding a 6-4 record over their last 10 meetings. Portnoy’s over-the-top comments added to the lack of NCAA punishment and vitriol of this rivalry.
Portnoy’s comments fueled the fire of the Ohio State fan base’s hatred for Michigan; one fan even tweeted if you see Dave in Columbus, pour a beer on him.
The Brown Jug is a staple for Michigan students and fans. As tradition, many items on the menu get named after the Michigan football program. This month, the restaurant filed an application to trademark “Buckeye Tears” to use for liquor and beer products. Ohio State quickly challenged the application, saying it has used the Buckeye mark for over 100 years and will cause confusion.
If banning or not banning Portnoy didn’t add to the soft moniker Lou Holtz used to describe Ohio State, this did. Many social media posts were quick to point out the softness of fighting a restaurant over the use of the Buckeye Tears name.
A Michigan favorite and Fox Big Noon Kickoff personality, Portnoy used the opportunity to fire another shot at Ohio State with a Twitter post saying, “Ryan Day and Ohio State are trying to stop Michigan Bar from selling a drink called ‘Buckeye Tears” This is not from The Onion. This is real and add four laughing emojis.
Is Ohio State being soft, or are they doing what every university would do to protect their trademark rights? Regardless of the right answer, it certainly fits the soft narrative Portnoy and Michigan fans have been pushing the last four years.
The hatred in the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry has been built over decades and has divided families and friends. If last season made the feel of the game mean less, these last few weeks reversed it completely. The desire for revenge from Ohio State, coupled with Michigan’s perceived arrogance, has turned the meaning of winning it right back to where it should be.
And for both coaches, the result in this year’s game will turn up the heat. For Day, fans will call for his job after a fifth straight loss, even after winning the national championship, but this time, he might not survive. While for Moore, an Ohio State loss combined with missing the playoffs will have fans questioning if he is the right man to lead the program, turning his seat pretty hot at Michigan. I’d say The Game is right back to it’s meaningful position.
Tony Thomas
Writer
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