Congratulations to Ohio State for beating a 5-6 Rutgers team, wow, that must have been really hard to do...not. This win means absolutely nothing about how good Ohio State is, just like how many of their games have been against teams with below .500 records.
However, now it is time for the biggest game of the year, The Game. Well, at least for Ohio State right now, it is officially rivalry week for the Buckeyes, while Michigan is playing its game against Maryland at the time this story was written.
After beating Rutgers, head coach Ryan Day was speaking to the media and was all smiles about the fact that the Wolverines are next up, but that smile won't last long.
Ryan Day speaks about hardware like he knows what The Game Trophy looks like
"We're playing for hardware now." @JennyTaft spoke with @OhioStateFB's Ryan Day as they look ahead to Michigan next week ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/QYP72jo47T
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 22, 2025
At the very end of his interview on the field, Ohio State head coach said now the Buckeyes are playing for hardware, meaning they are playing for The Game trophy. Well, the real question needs to be is whether or not Day knows what that trophy looks like.
The only time that trophy has left the state of Michigan in the last four years has been when The Game was played in Columbus, and once Michigan took down the Buckeyes in their own stadium, that trophy went right back to Ann Arbor. So, Day is smiling right now, talking about this rivalry matchup, but he probably won't be for long.
Ohio State star wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate were both out against Rutgers, and Day wasn't willing to say anything more than the fact that they are day-to-day when it comes to their availability against Michigan.
Players on the sideline might be ready for the week, but are they really ready to face Michigan? That will have to wait to be seen until Saturday.