INDIANAPOLIS — It seems pretty obvious Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and Ohio State coach Ryan Day won’t be having dinner together anytime soon, if ever.
In the past couple of years, their relationship has been defined by verbal swipes.
Day reportedly told his team in August 2020 that he wanted to “hang 100” points on Michigan after he and Harbaugh had a disagreement during a Big Ten coaches conference call. Day has never commented on that report.
After Michigan’s win over Ohio State last November, Harbaugh’s final remark was interpreted as a shot at Day, who took over the Buckeyes from Urban Meyer in 2019. “Sometimes people that are standing on third base think they hit a triple, but they didn’t,” Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh was asked about that remark on Tuesday at the end of his podium session with reporters at Big Ten media days.
“I have no comment on that at this time,” Harbaugh said, smiling as he got up and left.
Moments before, he was asked to describe his relationship with Day. The two also saw each other not long after the game at the Heisman Trophy presentation since Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson and OSU’s C.J. Stroud were finalists.
“Professional,” Harbaugh said. “At the Heisman, cordial. When we’re playing each other, (he’s) doing everything he can to have his team win, I’m doing everything to have my team win. Competitive.”
Day’s podium session Wednesday ended five minutes early so he could make an appearance on BTN’s set, which was live from media days at Lucas Oil Stadium. After he walked off the set, Day took a few questions, but pleasantly declined to answer when asked to describe his relationship with Harbaugh.
“I’d love to answer, but I’ve gotta go,” Day told The Detroit News as he turned to walk across the field.
Here it is, late July, weeks from the start of the college football season, and four months from the Michigan-Ohio State game, but it is always high among the topics of conversation during the two-day media session.
Ohio State was picked to finish first in the Big Ten East in an informal media poll published earlier this week, and Michigan, the defending conference champions, was picked to finish second.
The Buckeyes are in the unfamiliar role of talking about rebounding from a loss to Michigan. Day said Wednesday that highest among the Buckeyes’ expectations this year — as is always the case — is beating their archrivals, a task the OSU program has handled well over the last two decades. Entering last season’s game at Michigan Stadium, the Buckeyes had won eight straight and 15 of the previous 16.
Harbaugh and his players, including Aidan Hutchinson and Josh Ross, last year at media days did something they hadn’t done before — they talked about how much they needed and wanted to beat Ohio State. That was the team’s focus and they spoke about practice drills and daily reminders about The Game, as it is known.
The Wolverines, on that snowy, cold day last November, upended Ohio State, 42-27 to clinch the Big Ten East division. They went on to win the Big Ten championship game, giving the program its first title since 2004.
“People was crying, their parents was crying saying it was the best day of their life,” Michigan defensive lineman Mazi Smith said Tuesday. “It's a big deal, because people have been loving that Block M forever. And seeing us not necessarily be where we supposed to be (in previous seasons) and last year we finally got a taste of it and everybody got a taste of it. It was a great time.”
Ohio State got a taste of losing the rivalry game, something the program hasn’t had to deal with the better part of the last decade.
"Maybe at some places 11-2 with a Rose Bowl victory is a good year. It isn't at Ohio State," Day said referring to OSU 2021 season. "Our three goals are, beat the team up north, win the Big Ten championship, win the national championship. That's our goals, and those things didn't happen last year.”
That sounded familiar. Harbaugh on Tuesday said Michigan’s goals are to beat rivals Michigan State and Ohio State in the same year and win the Big Ten and national championships.
Michigan players who were on the field last season are fueled by the win against Ohio State and are looking forward to the daunting task of playing at Ohio Stadium, where Michigan hasn’t won since 2000, on Nov. 26. Ohio State players who were on the field last season also are fueled by what transpired.
“When you think about those first few games last year, we had a lot of young guys, and now we've gone through a whole season and offseason together,” Day said. “I think our guys are a little scarred, they're a little calloused. They know what it's like to lose a game, and that's not fun. We remind our guys about that regularly, but we also know we have to move forward and focus on what's coming next.”
Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said the Michigan loss stung. While they don’t dwell on it, they also haven’t pushed it aside.
“It’s unacceptable for us,” he said. “It’s definitely a focus point. It’s definitely something we hear a lot. It’s a big motivator for us.”
Quarterback C.J. Stroud echoed Day’s comment about moving on from the loss while also understanding what it meant to the Ohio State program.
“It’s respect both ways, but at the same time," Stroud said, "it is a war."
