At Ohio State, “The Game” is a 365-day feeling of animosity toward Michigan. The same is true for the Wolverines. But for seven seasons, Urban Meyer weaponized that feeling.
Urban Meyer Gets Honest About the Michigan Rivalry
Reflecting on his tenure on “The Script” podcast, Meyer revealed the psychological toll and borderline obsession that fueled his historic run against the Wolverines. He was asked to pick one career highlight between his spotless record against Michigan and his national championship. He didn’t hesitate a bit to flaunt his 7-0 record.
Meyer said, “The further I’m removed from being the head coach at Ohio State… When you’re the head coach at Ohio State, and you’re an Ohio guy, and you grow up in the ‘Ten-Year War,’ the 7-0 record is something that, I mean, please don’t touch that one, man.
“That is something I’ll take with me for the rest of my life. And that’s because of the hatred I had for that school. And notice I said had. You know, I’m not in that chair anymore. But when you’re in that chair, you feel it every day,” he added.
History shows that the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry routinely chews up and spits out legendary coaches. For context, the late, iconic Woody Hayes went 16-11-1 against the Wolverines. John Cooper was nearly run out of the state with a dismal 2-10-1 rivalry record.
But Meyer also candidly admitted that he fueled it a bit too much.
He shared, “Part of it was my fault. I mean, I made that whole facility all about that game. We never went more than a week without either talking about the game or practicing for the game.”
Meyer admitted that his undefeated streak wasn’t built on tactical genius alone; it was built on a relentless, round-the-clock surveillance operation of the football program up north. While most programs focus on their immediate opponents, Meyer assigned assistant coach Tim Hinton to a singular, year-round task: monitor Michigan.
“I’m talking about September, or even spring practice. ‘What are they doing? What are they doing? What are they doing?’” Meyer confessed.
With the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams now, Meyer openly wondered if the zero-sum, soul-crushing hatred of his era can survive. In the modern format, a team can drop a regular-season rivalry game and still hoist a national championship trophy in January. The stakes have shifted from regional rivalry to national positioning.
“I think the landscape has changed so much with the playoff, which I’m not saying it’s bad, it’s great,” Meyer noted. “So I’m not sure it’s exactly the same anymore. But certainly, when I was a coach and the way I handled it, that 7-0 is numero uno.”
It may not be the same, but for seven years, Urban Meyer treated the Michigan rivalry like an existential war. He left the chair with a broken headset, gray hairs, and a burning animosity. But he also left it undefeated.
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