Ryan Day wants the Big Ten to move that annual rivalry game between Ohio State and Michigan to earlier in the season.
When speaking with reporters Wednesday during Big Ten Football Media Days, the Buckeyes’ coach was asked about USC and UCLA joining the league and forcing changes to scheduling beginning in the 2024 season.
“I’m glad we still have the rivalry game,” he said. “I do think we should consider when we play it, just because you may end up playing them on back-to-back weeks, which would be awkward.”
For the 2024 and 2025 seasons, the Big Ten decided to move away from divisions and instead introduced a new scheduling format earlier this summer. Michigan will see its rivalries with Michigan State and the Buckeyes protected, playing both and Maryland each of the next two seasons. Ohio State will play Northwestern and Illinois twice in addition to the Wolverines.
Under the new format, the Big Ten Football Championship will be played by the two teams with the best records in the conference. Last year, this would have been a rematch between the two powerhouses. Michigan remained undefeated after beating Ohio State in Columbus, 45-23. Instead of facing the West Division champions Purdue, the new format would have seen an Indianapolis meeting a week later.
Michigan has won each of the last two meetings against Ohio State, and the Buckeyes haven’t earned a victory over their rival since the 2019 campaign. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the game to be cancelled in 2020; otherwise The Game has been played annually since 1933.
Day cited worries that two undefeated teams may already have booked a trip to the conference title game and therefore making the season finale feel meaningless if they’re already slated to meet a week later. There’s also the potential for a third meeting in the College Football Playoffs.
“I know that we need to consider the tradition, but I think it’s worth a conversation on when because I think that’s significant just on how the season plays out.”
