November 25, 1950, Columbus, Ohio. Snow is rained down vigorously at OSU Stadium. The temperature stooped to almost 10 degrees, and the winds were scathing at 28 mph like knives on cold skin. Ohio State vs Michigan started in these conditions in what would later be known as the ‘Blizzard’. Michigan came up trumps 9-3, and Wes Fesler, OSU’s head coach, was fired right after. What happened next?
Well, the moment would follow to what will be the 10-year war in the biggest rivalry of college football. OSU’s coach Woody Hayes locking horns with his former assistant, his pupil, Michigan’s head coach Bo Schembechler. Michigan came up trumps by 5-4-1 in an era-defining rivalry, and the animosity never really died down. It became stronger over the years, so much so that it bleeds hot in the supporters’ veins. But what if anyone tells you all they can change?
Speaking at the ‘Triple Option’ Podcast, Warde Manuel, the athletic director of the Michigan Wolverines, dismissed rumors of the decreasing significance of the rivalry. “I’ll speak on behalf of Michigan. I mean, this is the game for a reason; it’s called the game for a reason, and that’s not going to change with the college football playoff. It didn’t change with the BCS, it didn’t change with the playoff format of four games. It’s not going to change with 12, and if it goes to 118, it still won’t change. It’s the game for a reason.”. So the question now is, does the statement hold any merit?
Dec 29, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day tries to make a play call change before the snap against Missouri Tigers in the fourth quarter during the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Robertson-USA TODAY Sports
Well, the NIL era has opened floodgates to a whole new dynamic. The House v. NCAA settlement is banging on the door, and the playoff has altered the situation of rivalries altogether. Don’t believe it? Well, hear this. Take the example of the 2024 season, a season in which Ryan Day decimated opponents like flies and reached the Final. He won the Natty trophy but lost the regular season ‘The Game’ against Michigan by 13-10. In the era of Woody Hayes, it would mean alarm bells, but Day had just won the Natty Trophy, and the game lost its significance quite a lot. At least that’s what former Ohio State QB Cardale Jones thinks:
“With the new era of college football with the 12-team playoff, to me, the rivalry gets watered down a little bit,” Jones said on The Ultimate College Football Show. “Because at the end of the day, both teams can go into Week 12 being No. 1 and No. 2 in the conference, and guess what happens in Week 13? Rematch. I anticipate to see, especially with a great recruiting class by both schools this past year, we’re going to see here in the near future that Ohio State and Michigan play each other three times in one year”. For context, hear this.
Are hotly contested rivalry days a thing of the past?
What Cardale Jones is essentially saying is that the recruitment game is now expanded to the whole country. There are fewer emotions attached to the players from different states or at least outside the American Midwest. In many aspects, Jones is quite right because initially, if you look at the rivalry’s history, it was a major Midwest rivalry that gained national attention. But still, that can’t be the sole reason for the fading rivalry. So, the question now is: Will rivalries like this wither or stand strong against the winds of change?
Well, if a recent proposal by the Big 10 and the SEC is to be believed, then the playoff format is going to change next year. We would see teams from the SEC and the Big 10 locking horns more often. And this will come with the added benefit of 4 guaranteed playoff spots in each of these conferences. So, when 4 spots would be guaranteed to you, then why bother fretting over a rivalry game when you could win the national championship by automatically reaching the playoff, right? Well, that’s just a thought, but the chances are that this power-packed rivalry’s significance is not going away too soon, and fans should hope that Warde Manuel’s words will come up trumps.
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