Michigan HC Kyle Whittingham has made an alarming comment weeks ahead of Ohio State hosting the Wolverines
The Buckeyes have to be feeling good about Whittingham’s latest comment that shows he just may not understand the rivalry.
The Ohio State Buckeyes’ Week 10 loss to the Oregon Ducks stung, and there’s no other way to put it. Ohio State now sits at three losses, a spot Ryan Day hasn’t been in during his time as head coach. With all three losses coming in the first nine games, the Buckeyes all but eliminated their College Football Playoff hopes.
With the College Football Playoff out of the picture, it’s also unlikely Ohio State reaches the Big Ten Championship. That leaves the Buckeyes with little to play for outside of reeling off wins in the final three games. The biggest goal left on the table is beating the Michigan Wolverines.
Ohio State’s final goal is clear
Day and the Buckeyes will try to beat Michigan for a second straight season. A win wouldn’t salvage what’s been a disappointing year in Columbus, but it would give Ohio State something small to build on. Day has struggled against Michigan during his career, and there’s added pressure on the game this season with how the last couple of weekend have gone.
Ohio State has dropped two straight games to USC and Oregon, and getting back on track against Northwestern and Nebraska is a must. Stacking a couple of wins before the rivalry game would go a long way toward changing the mood around the program.
Michigan is struggling under Kyle Whittingham
Things have gone worse in Ann Arbor than they have in Columbus. The Wolverines are coming off a disappointing 15-6 loss to Michigan State, which dropped them to 5-4. That’s a 3-6 Michigan State team that handed them the loss, too.
Michigan’s first year under head coach Kyle Whittingham hasn’t gone as hoped at all. The Wolverines have gone away from Bryce Underwood at quarterback and are now starting Tommy Carr, who hasn’t been very good either in relief of Underwood.
After the loss to MSU, Whittingham made a comment that stands out with Ohio State still left on Michigan’s schedule. Both programs are in a similar spot, with the rivalry game as the biggest thing left to play for.
“It’s my job as a coach to rally them back up and get them ready to compete for these last three games,” Whittingham stated. “I don’t know, are there any more trophies in these last three games? I don’t think there’s any more trophies. Anyway…”
A bad look for Whittingham ahead of Ohio State vs. Michigan
It’s a clueless comment to make, considering what Michigan fans and Ohio State fans think of this rivalry. It’s the biggest and best rivalry in college sports, and a win in this game means more to both fan bases than almost anything else on the schedule. Treating the final three regular season games as if nothing meaningful to play for is a tough look.
Whittingham is in his first year with the Wolverines, but he isn’t new to this rivalry. He’s a friend of Urban Meyer, and he knows what this game means to Michigan. Making that comment with Ohio State still ahead is a bit of a red flag for the Wolverines.
The game is set for Nov. 28 in Columbus. It’ll be a game Ohio State must win, no matter their record. Both teams are in a spot where they need to get back on track before the game with losses to Michigan State and Oregon still fresh.
Whether the Buckeyes can turn this into a strong finish will be crucial for the overall feeling of the program.
