Ohio State’s perfect season might look intact, but its record means nothing until it conquers Michigan in the rivalry week. Four years straight, the Wolverines followed the same formula of upsetting the Buckeyes, no matter where they ranked. Heading into the rivalry week (11-0), as Ryan Day and the Buckeyes fans tried to devalue the game, Dave Portnoy remembered OSU fans of the past.

Ahead of the historical Ohio State-Michigan game, Dave Portnoy, the die-hard Michigan fan, raised a question to the Buckeyes fans on X.

“This is for Ohio fans’ eyes only. I need to know before we really get into this rivalry week.  Are you guys gonna say the game doesn’t matter after you lose like your coach did last year? #askohiofans”

While last year’s three straight losses to Michigan bothered day, he wanted to be ready to fight despite the Wolverines’ 6-5 record.

“It doesn’t really matter at all what the scores are leading up to this point. Nothing that’s happened up until this point matters other than what we do in this game.”

Recalling that, Portnoy detailed Ohio State fans’ demands on Ryan Day, after Michigan defeated the Buckeyes last year by 13-10, forcing their second loss, and costing them their Big Ten Championship game.

“Last year, if you recall, we had Fatboy,” Dave Portnoy remembered on the Nov 23 episode of Wake Up Barstool.

“We had Ohio State after the game. They were saying, ‘Fire Ryan Day instantly’, ‘This is the worst day of my life’, ‘I want to die’, ‘We’ll never get over this’, ‘I’ll never recover’. Then Ohio State goes on a cute little run, and suddenly it’s like the game never happened, ‘Oh, who cares? The game doesn’t matter. Playoffs.’”

The $250 million net worth Michigan booster demanded an answer before Michigan beats Ohio State again.

“Does the game matter or not? Tell me before we beat you. If this is just another game, then fine. It’s just another game.”

Portnoy wasted no time taking a sweep at Ryan Day and the OSU coaching staff, demanding an answer from them.

“I used to think this game meant something before Ryan Day and the co***ds in Ohio tried to devalue the game. I’m sorry, Ohio State Administration. I won’t say that anymore. The soft people at Ohio State, does the game matter? Are they going to cry like they did last year? That’s all I want to know before we get into this week. Does the game matter?”

Shannon Sharpe warned Ryan Day’s Ohio State of Michigan

While Ohio State takes on Michigan (9-2), Shannon Sharpe has warned Ryan Day and the coaching staff. He stated how tough the Wolverines play against the Buckeyes, and hinted that it’s going to be a difficult, physical game that will test Ohio State’s potential.

“No matter what, no matter what Michigan might look like, what you might think or may not think of Michigan,” Shannon Sharpe said on the Nov. 22 episode of Nightcap.

“Michigan plays them tough. Michigan is physical. They’re a physical team. They’re going to run the football, and they’re going to try to shut your ward off and stop you from running the football. So, it’s going to be a very interesting matchup.”

This will be the 121st matchup between the rivals, and the Wolverines hold the head-to-head lead with a 62-51-6 record.

Ohio State enters The Big House on Saturday as a 10.5 favorite, as the better team in most metrics. However, this was the same case when they met in 2021 and 2022, but Michigan hit them hard.

OSU’s win will end its four-season losing streak; however, a loss would not only extend the Wolverines’ head-to-head domination but also pave the way for Michigan to enter the playoffs.