Ohio State cruised past Michigan in a rather comfortable fashion in Week 14. Some Ohio State players sought to exact revenge for the infamous 2024 brawl by planting their flag on the M in the field. Head coach Ryan Day stepped in and de-escalated the situation, urging them to show maturity after the win. Despite both programs joining hands to avoid the brawl of 2024, the Wolverines were more than ready to fight, as per running back Bryson Kuzdzal.

“We can’t let that happen,” Kuzdzal said in the post-game press conference. “We didn’t know if they were going to or not, but if they were trying to, they were not going to.”

After the final whistle, the field at the Big House was charged with emotions. On one side, we saw Ohio State players celebrating with their fans. Interestingly, the entire Michigan roster gathered in the midfield to protect the ‘M’ and prevent the Buckeyes from planting their flag. Since it was a precedent set by the Wolverines last year, the thought of a response was along expected lines.

Last season, Michigan infamously planted its flag on the midfield O, sparking a massive brawl that officials and police had to break up. Pepper spray was used to control the chaos, and one Ohio State police officer suffered a head injury. The Big Ten fined both programs $100,000 for the incident. In response, security was doubled for the Week 14 matchup.

Kuzdzal’s comments mean that Michigan players were expecting a response. One wonders if they had displayed the same urgency during the game, the Wolverines would have five straight against the Buckeyes.

Moreover, Ryan Day was never going to allow Ohio State players to plant the flag, and he was even recorded speaking with Sherrone Moore, asking him to clear the Michigan players from the field and assuring him that he wouldn’t let anyone plant the flag.

While the Buckeyes couldn’t avenge last year by planting their flag, the win must have been just as satisfying.

Can Ryan Day become a back-to-back CFP champion?

Ryan Day will be on cloud nine after the 27-9 victory in the season finale. Snapping Ohio State’s losing streak against its archrivals while preserving an unbeaten season would have been the perfect ending. Now that he has handled the “mini bosses,” his focus shifts to one goal: becoming a back-to-back national champion.

Only one team has achieved that feat in the College Football Playoff era: Georgia in 2021 and 2022. For Day, surpassing that accomplishment is the milestone he needs to cement his place among the great coaches of the modern era. The Buckeyes will get a first-round bye, along with Indiana, Texas A&M, and Georgia, based on the four highest-ranked teams.

The four quarterfinal games this year are the Rose, Sugar, Orange, and Cotton Bowls. Champions from the Big Ten conference will get the Rose Bowl. Ohio State has a road game lined up at Indiana to take on the Hoosiers. With both going undefeated this season, it promises to be a banger of a game.