The Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Michigan Wolverines football rivalry, also known as The Game, officially began on October 16, 1897. However, with the playoff extension talks now brewing, the rivalry will never be the same. That's when an analyst came up with a solution.

Austin Meek and Cameron Teague Robinson cover Michigan and Ohio State for The Athletic. A reader asked them both whether it could start to resemble the basketball rivalry between Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels. Meek is treating it as an opportunity for more meaningful chapters

"When Michigan and Michigan State played on the final Sunday of the men’s basketball regular season, the Wolverines had clinched the Big Ten championship outright, and both teams were in position for high seeds in the NCAA Tournament," he said. "Did the game still matter? You bet it did."

Meek went to basketball first to make his point. Michigan and Michigan State played twice last season. Both games mattered. But the late January one felt bigger because both teams had more on the line at that moment.

To him, if playoff expansion creates more scenarios where the teams meet again in the postseason, the rivalry could evolve into something even bigger. Instead of one defining game per year, there could be multiple defining moments

"The Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry demands a level of intensity that's only justifiable if The Game counts for everything," Meek said.

He has already argued separately that the rivalry should move to October if the CFP goes to 24 teams. This was him doubling down on why timing matters so much.

Robinson came at it from a completely different angle, as he grew up as a Duke fan.

"I don't think it matters whether it's a regular-season game or in the Final Four like in 2022," Robinson wrote. "Those games always matter. Same with Ohio State and Michigan."

Robinson also brought up a Michigan-Ohio State CFP semifinal scenario, drawing comparison with Duke and North Carolina in 2022. And if it happened to be the last game of a coach's career the way it was for Mike Krzyzewski, the bragging rights would be on a completely different level.

Meek's concern was never about the rivalry losing meaning. It was about the stakes being at their peak when the two teams actually meet.

How Whittingham Plans to Approach The Game in 2026

Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham appeared on Wake Up Barstool in January and spoke about the Ohio State rivalry with Dave Portnoy. He credited Urban Meyer, a close friend, for giving him an early education on what The Game actually means.

"I learned about the rivalry from him when he was up there, that team down south, I should say," Whittingham said. "He's indoctrinated me on the whole thing. But it's gonna be intense. I can tell you that right now. Intensity is probably the word that fits best."

He also mentioned the signs already up in the Michigan facility. No red. No green in the building.

His approach is built around toughness. Whittingham wants Michigan ready on all 365 days, with The Game being the natural result of a program built the right way all year.

How do you think the playoff expansion will affect The Game? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar