The Game is one of the biggest rivalries in college sports, if not the biggest, as Michigan and Ohio State fans live for the hatred of the opposite side. Normally, the rivalry hype doesn't start to heat up until closer to the end of the season, maybe at the start of November at the earliest, but it has been the talk of both sides lately, and the 2026 season has yet to even kick off.
It's not like one side is talking about it more than the other, but the way Michigan is looking at the game at the end of November feels like the opposite end of the spectrum from Ohio State's approach. New Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham has yet to play in the heated rivalry, so maybe fans feel he doesn't get the intensity, but he is playing this just right.
Even Bryce Underwood, who has played in this rivalry before, is following his coach's lead with his latest comments on the game. It is really just Ohio State that is making this a bigger deal than it needs to be in August, when the game won't take place until the end of November.
Michigan lives rent free in Ohio State's head while the Wolverines are focusing on more than just the Buckeyes
Whittingham has been in his fair share of rivalry games; some might say a pretty big one with Utah and BYU, but let's face it, nothing compares to the rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State. It is the biggest game of the season, the one that is automatically circled on the schedule every year.
Let's step back, though, and look at the bigger picture. Both Michigan and Ohio State have a lot of heavy hitters on their schedules. The Buckeyes have to go to Austin to take on the Longhorns, and while they were able to beat Texas last season, that team is getting better with every rep. Then, in Big Ten play, they face the team that beat them in the conference championship, Indiana in Bloomington, and then host Oregon in November before Michigan.
Michigan arguably has a tougher schedule with Oklahoma, Penn State, Indiana, Oregon, Iowa, and Ohio State, all teams ranking in the Preseason Coaches Poll. So, while The Game is the biggest matchup of the season every year, the Wolverines can't afford to overlook all those other matchups just to focus on Ohio State, and that is what both Whittingham and Underwood are getting at with their comments.
So, yeah, fans probably want to hear about how Whittingham wants to eat Ohio State alive and dance on the ashes of their loss, but in reality, that is not the type of coach he is, and he is coaching his players to be that way too. When the game gets closer, sure, the smack talk will ramp up, and Whittingham will probably have more to say about it, but what's the point of making a huge deal of it in August before anyone has played a single meaningful snap?
Also, who is to say this isn't all a tactic from Whittingham and Co.? Just think about how much of a mind game this all is. Of course, everyone in the state of Michigan hates everyone in the state of Ohio, so if Whittingham and his players are downplaying this game to get in the heads of Ohio State, it is working, based on Julian Sayin's comments about the rivalry being a livelihood in Columbus.
I think this is the perfect strategy for Whittingham, especially as a new coach and having never played in this rivalry before. Sure, if they lose, everyone will point to these comments and say he didn't care enough, but if they win, Whittingham will be praised for how he went about it all.
At this point, let Whittingham handle it the way he handles it because Michigan has a gauntlet of a schedule to get to before they even set foot in Columbus.
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