It is rivalry week and there is
always pressure to win when it
comes to Ohio State of Michigan.
Ohio State is dominated this series
only losing twice in 20 years,
the Wolverines, well,
they have struggled and you know,
that leads us to the big question.
Joined now by Dave Holmes
and Adam King of 10 TV,
Anthony Rothman and Bobby Carpenter
from 97.1 the fan who needs
this game more who who has more
pressure to win this year's game?
Goodness, what you'd probably want
to start with Jim Harbaugh up north.
I mean, this would be an opportunity
for him to finally breakthrough you.
Have you're playing against
a freshman quarterback.
You have a veteran quarterback.
You have a really solid defense.
You've built this team in your image
and you start looking around like,
well, they may lose some receivers.
But CJ Stroud is probably
only going to get better.
They've got traded on Henderson
for the next couple years.
He looks like he's only going to get better.
They have a pretty young nucleus
that is going to continue to grow,
and so I guess I look at it like this.
Where you have to start beginning
to pick your spots like one is
the time for you to go all in,
and it's usually on that year where
there's a quarterback change and he
has that quarterback change now and it
feels like if you don't get it done now,
it might not be any easier in the coming
years. Yeah hates moron Michigan, you know,
of course they've lost eight in a
row with he would have to be on
them just based on that math alone.
But you know, Ryan Day also wants to
follow up two coaches that preceded him,
who won national titles here,
and this may be a great opportunity.
For him this year to go and get one,
but absolutely the pressure is on Michigan.
And like Bobby said, pick your spots.
You're at home.
That's an opportunity right there.
And so, and if they could get their
first one breakthrough this year,
they'd be able to celebrate
in their home stadium.
Not that celebrating anywhere beating
Ohio State wouldn't be big for them,
but no, the the pressure is on them.
It mounts every year.
The cords of wood keeps stacking and losses.
And eventually, like Bobby said,
they're going to have to make a
decision on their one of their
favorite sons who guaranteed the
victory in 86 and brought it.
A home on whether he is the right
guy to keep going.
So absolutely the pressure is on them.
Well, I feel like we've been in this
exact scenario for the last five years.
Is is Jim Harbaugh?
Does he need to win the Ohio
State game to keep his job?
And I feel like that's just become
the storyline of this game,
but I think you're also right in
the regard that they're at home.
They're in the big house.
This is one of the best teams
they've had in recent years,
and if there's going to be a
time for them to get Ohio State.
As you said there, the experience.
It's only going to get better with Ohio
State recruiting classes they brought in.
And you wonder if Jim Harbaugh
doesn't get it done on Saturday.
Is is his job done?
Well, Jim Harbaugh's lost a lot of
games in this rivalry for a short time,
but you know he hasn't done
lost back to back at home, OK,
and because they were able to duck
out of last year's game in Columbus,
you could lose back to back games in
your building, and Bobby's on the money.
It's if not now, then, when it feels
like that and going into this year,
I thought the same thing you did.
It's going to be in your house again.
A new quarterback, I mean.
But that said, so yes,
the heat's on Michigan that said,
Ryan Day is taken over for
a guy who never lost.
And let's not act like this city won't lose
their mind that one loss to this team.
I think it's gotten to the point now,
like you said, two and 20 years, 15 of 16.
It's gotten to the point.
Now that one loss is not seen
as acceptable in Columbus,
and I would be very curious to
see the reaction because Ryan Day
has not won a championship yet,
which is absurd standard.
I think he has to win his first couple years.
That said,
I think this town would probably get
pretty hot pretty fast with just one loss.
And and I agree with that and.
Let me just say that
I'm not saying that's fair,
I'm saying I think that's why
I think I could see that.
I think it's totally unfair,
but let me just say this about Ryan Day.
This dude is a competitor extraordinaire.
He's got a lot of that that Urban Meyer had.
He wants to win, he is hungry,
and so who's more hungry?
I think Ryan Day is is,
you know, I don't know.
I don't know if you can put a meter,
but let's put it this way.
He remembers the stuff
that happened last year.
He remembers saying I want to hang
100 on those guys and whatever
and so I think this is the game.
This is a Member of God.
Rest bill miles.
Bill Miles said that you
know the job saver game.
This is the job saver game and
he knows that in Columbus, OH.
You know it's like Earl Bruce
said when you beat him you walk
down High Street when you lose
you walk down the back alleys.
And people were going nuts on
Twitter talking about a nine
point victory over Nebraska
acting like it was a loss.
Biggest loss of the season for
Nebraska. It wasn't enough,
you know. So the thing that
that I think is interesting is how much
last season fuels this Ohio State team.
I mean, some of those guys haven't
had their chance to play Michigan.
Now they get that chance at the big house.
Does that give them a lot
more motivation and listen?
Nobody saying Michigan ducked
Ohio State last season.
Bobby say it say
about you wonder if
that fires them up and then I have a
second question for you. Which is this?
There's this debate around Ohio State,
Michigan and how big it is for Buckeye
players when they've won so many.
If you're a Buckeye player right
now is a national championship
with a loss to Michigan.
OK, or would you rather beat
Michigan and not win the national
title? They want both both. Let
me answer the first part of that.
I think there is a feeling within
some of the within that locker room,
maybe within the walls,
the Woody Hayes that maybe that game
could have been played last year and
that they saw the writing on the wall.
They knew what it was going to look like.
It was going to be here.
There wouldn't be any.
I don't know if it be better for it to
happen in silence to the roaring Applause
because I think silence may have been worse.
Silence is dead.
Nick and I think that they
were probably looking at that.
And some of these players
look at and say hey.
I got robbed out of the Paragould pants,
yeah?
Yeah, you could kind of say
we should have won that game,
but you didn't play it.
Yeah.
And so I think those guys they
want to get that done.
They want to win this game and enroute
to winning a national championship
'cause there is a hollow feeling.
I've never won a national
title without winning it,
but I can't imagine that it would feel
quite the same if you look through that,
it's like, oh we got in.
But and that's hanging overhead
'cause you know that Michigan
fans would be bringing that up.
You may have one at all,
but you couldn't beat us,
it's part and parcel.
You rarely could get the big one without
getting the one against your rival.
But the interesting part about the
hungry versus Michigan hangry.
Maybe they're hungry and Ohio State's hungry,
but I would say this.
We're getting into weird territory.
With Ohio State and that people
think this is automatic, yeah,
and so if Ryan Day were to lose to Michigan,
you're getting to the point where the
loss actually means more than one.
L. Let's stop for a second and and
remember how tough this game is.
Bob played,
and he can tell you it doesn't matter.
Throw out the records, all of that,
whether your favorite or not,
or the underdog we've experienced
so much Dom over the decades that
we need to stop and actually say,
wait a minute just 'cause they want to.
Eight in a row and 17 last
19 or whatever it is.
That this is an easy and the reason
that they are doing is talent,
coaching, preparation,
right and everything that
leads up to the rivalry.
That's the shame of it is now.
We think it's a coronation.
We do,
you roll it out and win
and if you think about it this is insane.
The last 15 years Ohio State is more
likely to lose to Clemson than Michigan.
I mean a team where everything has
to fall into place to even play them.
So that's how one sided.
This has gotten and I'm I'm with the Anthony.
I think this town, I don't know if
they take it for granted per say,
but I think it's expected at this point.
And that's a scary place to be.
In a game like this and
the bottom line is covering
this series, as Anthony said,
the better team does not always win.
They will play this Saturday in the big
house and keep it on 10 TV and 97.1
the fan for all your Buckeye coverage.