"Losing to Michigan three years in a row is not good" - CFB Hall of Famer Lou Holtz has a candid take on Ohio State's rivalry week performance

Saturday was a day of despair for the Ohio State Buckeyes, who suffered a 30-24 loss to their archrivals, the Michigan Wolverines, in Ann Arbor. The defeat marked Ohio State’s first three-game losing streak against Michigan since the late 1990s.

The game was a close affair, with both teams trading blows throughout. Legendary college football coach Lou Holtz, once an assistant coach at Ohio State, did not mince words when he assessed the Buckeyes’ performance.

“Losing to Michigan three years in a row is not good. What a long ride home it must be. They aren’t real happy,” Holtz said. “Three years in a row we have lost to the University of Michigan.”

The game was held at Michigan Stadium, with a record attendance of 110,615 fans on hand.

"We know what this game means to so many people, and so to come up short is certainly crushing," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. "Not only because you invest your whole year in it, at Ohio State, what this game means, and so there's a locker room in there that's devastated."

Day witnessed his team's defeat as UM coach Jim Harbaugh finished a three-game suspension.

Michigan-Ohio State tension called "manufactured hype" by Jim Harbaugh

Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh, who was suspended by the Big 10 for the game for violating NCAA rules, said that a lot of the “hype” (bad blood) between Michigan and Ohio State is “manufactured for the TV show.” He added that it’s “not healthy.”

The sixth-ranked Buckeyes (11-1) will be on the sidelines as second-ranked Michigan (12-0) plays the 18th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes (10-2) for the Big Ten championship in Indianapolis on Saturday.

The Wolverines have a chance to make it to the College Football Playoff, while the Buckeyes likely will have to settle for a lesser bowl game. It’s a tough end for Ohio State, which had high hopes of winning it all.

Ryan Day will have to answer questions about his team and his plans to beat Michigan in the future. The loss stings more because of the fierce rivalry. Despite having an impressive 55-4 record against all other teams, Day has only a 1-3 record against the Wolverines.