"It doesn't matter": Michigan and Ohio State fans get into it over importance of rivalry game

Michigan's fans seem salty about Ohio State's national title win. A subsection of the Wolverines fans reacted poorly to some Buckeys fans' assertion that "The Game" doesn't matter after the Buckeyes crowned their season with a national title despite losing the rivalry encounter at the end of the regular season.

Blue by 90, a publication specializing in the Michigan Wolverines, posted a video to X of a Buckeyes fan calling "The Game" a "scrimmage" and saying "It doesn't really matter."

The following commentary accompanied the publication:

"We really went from "Michigan doesn't take the rivalry serious enough" to Ohio State fans calling "The Game" a 'scrimmage.' One of the most disrespectful and sad things I've ever heard about this rivalry. Oh how the mighty have fallen."

Ohio State fans didn't find the statement amusing:

"I mean Ohio State is 17-6 vs Michigan this century , and that could be subject to change this spring .. Focus on your 8-5 team and quit being salty you guys fell off so quickly under Sharon (Sherrone Moore)."

Some pointed out the game has lost some prestige:

"Not a scrimmage by any means but you can’t argue the fact that the 12 team playoff has made it less relevant in the grand scheme of the season overall."

Other fans reopened last season's debate regarding Michigan's cheating scandal:

"That’s almost as bad as dodging and cheating rivalry games."

It seems people only care about the game when they win:

"Thought your rivalry game was MSU? At least that’s what you claimed when you were loosening to OSU. All the sudden its OSU again because of 4 years of success. Just remember the record 2001-2020."

Some understood it as a simple joke:

"Lmao I just want them to keep that energy every year moving forward. Win or loss it’s just a meaningless scrimmage now."

On the other hand, the Michigan fandom did go on the offensive:

"He’s how I picture most Ohio fans. 500 lbs mammoths that would need to stop for a breath at every row of the Big House before they got to the top one."

Did Michigan win the war?:

"If this is the take Ohio State fans are taking it means they are surrendering the rivalry and Michigan has won the war Retreating is surrendering"

Ohio State should put its money where its mouth is:

"calling it a scrimmage when you're coming up on 2000 days without beating us and being down 10+ games in the all time record is insane."

While saying that the "Mighty have fallen" seems out of order when speaking about a program that just won a national title, the same goes when Ohio State fans call their rivalry with Michigan irrelevant.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day has vindicated himself, but he still has two important tasks ahead of him: reclaiming the Big Ten title and beating Michigan. The fans of the Columbus program will surely demand both sooner rather than later.

Ryan Day on what motivated him to lead Ohio State to national title win

There's no hiding the fact that Ryan Day suffered a lot of criticism this season. Another man might have buckled under the pressure. Day didn't. According to the Buckeyes coach, the key source of support and inspiration during these hard times came from his family:

“They’re my motivation – my family at home, my wife and kids, and then these guys. That’s why I get up every day, to help these guys reach their dreams and goals,” Day said after the game. “That’s all it comes down to, and then also it just shows an example – when things get hard in life, just keep swinging as hard as you can and fight. That’s our culture.”

Day's family also suffered, with the coach even getting death threats at one point in the season and having to hire private security to protect his home. The dark times are over for now, with Day having won Ohio State its first national title in a decade. Now, let's see how much goodwill he earns from the fans.