\n<\/p>\n
Jim Harbaugh was asked at his news conference earlier this week if he respects Ryan Day and his staff. Harbaugh, as he often does when asked something that makes him uncomfortable, hesitated before dodging the question.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all about our preparation for Ohio,\u201d Harbaugh said. \u201cThe days, the minutes, the hours, everything leading up to this game, that\u2019s where our focus is. Preparing ourselves and planning, gonna practice and then execute. Anything else is irrelevant when you get to this kind of big game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ryan Day was asked something similar a day later. He, too, wasn\u2019t interested in giving an honest answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith everything going on and the things that are out there, we\u2019ve kind of just stayed away from all the distractions and have just kind of focused on our team,\u201d he said. \u201cI think our guys have done a good job of it. \u2026 I\u2019ve talked to them a couple times about what\u2019s gone on this season, going into the game, but they\u2019re focused on this game. They are focused on this season.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nWriting a column right now and have a question: Is this the best\/most hyped Ohio State-Michigan game \u2026 ever?<\/p>\n
\u2014 Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) November 22, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Four years ago, after Ohio State\u2019s<\/a> 56-27 win over Michigan<\/a> in Ann Arbor in Day\u2019s first year as the Buckeyes<\/a> coach, the rivalry seemed dead because Urban Meyer killed it. Meyer was no longer Ohio State\u2019s coach, but the foundation of what he built carried over into the Day era and the Buckeyes stomped the Wolverines<\/a>. The Game was lopsided, the recruiting results were lopsided and Ohio State was more concerned with Clemson<\/a> than it was about its most bitter rival.<\/p>\n
But the rivalry wasn\u2019t dead. It turns out, it cannot be killed.<\/p>\n
And if you\u2019re looking for something to be thankful for on Thursday, how about this? The greatest rivalry in the sport, one that was on life support less than five years ago, isn\u2019t only back. It\u2019s better than ever.<\/p>\n
After Harbaugh beat Ohio State<\/a> for the first time, in 2021, he said in the postgame news conference that \u201csome people are born on third base and act like they\u2019ve hit a triple,\u201d referring to Day\u2019s status as the Buckeyes coach. A public shot at your rival\u2019s head coach and everything he\u2019s accomplished in his career? There\u2019s no coming back from that.<\/p>\n
Of course, Harbaugh later went on to say the comment was a counterpunch to Day, who reportedly said he\u2019d \u201chang 100\u201d on Michigan<\/a> during a dispute on a Big Ten coaches teleconference. Alas, the motivation for that isn\u2019t really important anymore. That\u2019s not a comment you can just shrug off.<\/p>\n