Kyle Whittingham is Michigan’s new head coach. But the irony is rich. This is the same man who once spared Ohio State’s Ryan Day, and that result helped Ohio State sneak into the CFP. Now, it just circles back with better plot twists.

Has Ryan Day ever coached against Kyle Whittingham?

Ryan Day and Kyle Whittingham have only faced off once as head coaches of their respective programs.

Back in the 2022 Rose Bowl, he had pushed OSU to the edge, and that favored the Buckeyes in a big way.

But that favor has officially expired, as Whittingham steps into Michigan’s head coach position, tasked with leading the team on the field. This means the two coaches will now face each other annually in ‘The Game.’

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When and where Ryan Day and Kyle Whittingham’s teams crossed paths

It happened on January 1, 2022, at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. It was a very close game, with OSU winning by just three points, 48-45.

The bowl game was a back-and-forth offensive showdown that kept fans on the edge of their seats. While Utah jumped out early with a 14-0 lead, sparked by a 97-yard kickoff return from Britain Covey, OSU answered with explosive plays of its own, including 50 and 52-yard TD catches by Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Then, by halftime, the Utes led 35-21, but the Buckeyes weren’t done yet, and the second half was a thriller.

With just over 10 minutes left, OSU clawed back to tie it 38-38. But Utah’s starting QB Cameron Rising exited with a head injury, and backup Bryson Barnes led a clutch drive to tie the game again in the final minutes.

Still, with nine seconds remaining, OSU kicker Noah Ruggles drilled a 19-yard field goal, sealing a heart-stopping victory.

In that game, while Stroud and Smith-Njigba had to go supernova in a win to prevent the year from ending on back-to-back losses, Smith-Njigba set an all-time FBS bowl game record with 347 receiving yards.

But the most intriguing fact is that both coaches share a connection to Urban Meyer. While Whittingham served as Meyer’s defensive coordinator at Utah, Day worked under Meyer at Ohio State. While the connection is there, the matchup had extra layers.

What is Michigan’s new head coach’s record against Ohio State?

Michigan’s new head coach faced Ryan Day’s Ohio State once and came up short, sitting at 0-1. But as Michigan’s head coach, the slate is clean. For context, his predecessor, Sherrone Moore, finished with a solid 2-1 mark against OSU. Just like that, the challenge is set, and the rivalry waits.

Whittingham’s track record backs that up. In 2008, he led the Utes to a perfect 13-0 season. While he has won three conference titles, his 11 bowl wins (11-6) ranked fourth among active coaches through 2023, a record that includes a 2-2 mark in New Year’s Six bowls. To cap it off, Whittingham is a three-time national coach of the year, receiving the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award and AFCA Coach of the Year in 2008 and the Dodd Trophy in 2019.

With this kind of talent and a strong 21-year head coaching record at Utah, 177-88 overall, Whittingham taking the reins at Michigan could be a game-changer for the Michigan-OSU rivalry.

Why do these matchups matter for the Michigan–Ohio State rivalry?

While Kyle Whittingham brings decades of coaching experience, what stands out is that he has faced one of the biggest rival coaches. Although he lost that game by a narrow margin, it can serve as a psychological advantage and a talking point for Michigan fans because he knows the rival, which could help Michigan find a path to victory in the future.

While this season Michigan fell 27-9 to Ohio State, Michigan leads the all-time series with a record of 62 wins and 6 ties. Now, with a steady hand at the helm, it could be a real challenge for Ryan Day’s OSU to beat the Wolverines next season.