After four long seasons, Ryan Day can finally sleep in peace. The Game at Ann Arbor wrapped up with a petty loss to the Michigan Wolverines. For the Michigan fans, this was a huge setback, so much so that the Maize and Blue didn’t miss the chance to pin it on the huge OSU attendance in the stands.

Sources blame Michigan season ticket holders for selling their tickets through a third party. That in turn might have resulted in the massive Scarlet and Grey crowd at the Big House. The move was heavily criticized and called for the immediate blacklisting of these holders.

“Anyone who does this should not be allowed to purchase season tickets the following year. Seeing a sea of red in the Big House is the most embarrassing thing of all time. It would never happen at Ohio State.”

The frustration is real. But how come Ann Arbor had more OSU fans in attendance?

Last-minute tickets weren’t cheap, starting at $286 on Vivid Seats for end-zone seats, including fees. Demand surged despite OSU’s 27-9 victory, with lower-level seats near the 50-yard line costing $536 or more.

While the Wolverines were trying hard to maintain their lead in the first quarter, with field goals, the OSU chants were very difficult to ignore.

Given the intensity, the call for banning these ticket holders seems justified.

For years, this game essentially determined the Big Ten champion and who received the Rose Bowl tickets. The rivalry hit its peak during the “Ten-Year War,” when Woody Hayes and his former assistant Bo Schembechler turned every matchup into something personal.

That’s why when the first touchdown occurred from OSU’s side in the second quarter, the Buckeyes fans couldn’t hold their emotions anymore.

It was fourth-and-5 with 11:44 left in the second quarter when it happened.

Sayin spotted Smith breaking free along the sideline and dropped a perfect 35-yard pass into his hands. Smith kept his balance, tumbled forward, and crashed into the end zone for the score. The Wolverine supporters went into deep silence as OSU fans couldn’t help but jump from their seats in rhythm. After that, the Buckeyes were invincible.

The second TD capped an 11-play, 87-yard march right before halftime, with Sayin hitting Brandon Inniss on a quick slant for six.

Then in the third, Sayin went deep, and Carnell Tate burned the Michigan defense, hauling in a 50-yard bomb for another touchdown. By this time, the Buckeye supporters were on the edge of their seats. So maybe it was the loud noise after that first score that motivated Ryan Day’s squad to go for more.

There’s just no way that, out of 111,373 people in the Big House, the fans in Scarlet and Grey made up the majority.

The new order in Ann Arbor

The No. 1 Ohio State’s 27-9 smackdown against Michigan was anything but ordinary. But the victory’s afterglow was grounded.

They quietly sat on the plane as they headed home, which was delayed. Then, de-icing woes and runway snarls made the day even more ordinary before the Buckeyes were strapped in their seats till 11 p.m.

Day called it, “A blessing in disguise.”

No wild street romps for his crew; instead, they bond mid-air, rest up, and roll home buzzing with energy for Big Ten title prep.

“Our guys are pretty good,” he grins.

Remember Bo Jackson’s 117 yards on 22 hauls, his fourth 100-yarder in five weeks? Then Julian Sayin’s blizzard-splitting 50-yard dart to Carnell Tate, ballooning the lead to 24-9, all was in place for this massive triumph. And Jeremiah Smith’s injury-return TD sealed it, while the D choked Michigan to nine points, their lowest in The Game since 2010. It was a massive redemption.

Michigan owned Day since 2021, fueling fan fury despite his natty title, two Big Ten rings, and 82-10 record. Losses stung like failures to Buckeye Nation. Now?

He fist-pumps off the field, rallies “O-H-I-O” chants from enemy turf, vowing to “win with humility.” And guess what? There were no flag-planting antics, just pure joy in the locker room.