As Week 13 wrapped up with a 42-9 dismantling of Rutgers, the countdown to Michigan only got louder. At 11-0, the Buckeyes are one win away from a spotless regular season. One slip, though, and everything funnels back into the nightmare that’s haunted Ryan Day’s tenure since 2020. But what if the Big Ten quietly opened the door for a second chance?

“The Big Ten has released its Big Ten Championship tiebreakers,” Ohio State insider Bill Landis posted on X on November 23. 

That one post detonated an entire week of speculation. With Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State, and Oregon all still alive for Indy, the league’s expanded format created a maze of scenarios. And in one of those scenarios, a Michigan win over OSU next week wouldn’t eliminate the Buckeyes at all.

If Purdue beats Indiana and Washington clips Oregon, OSU and Michigan both end 8-1, including Indiana. So this is where the tiebreaker comes into focus. 

Tiebreaker step #1 – no head to head among the tied teams

Tiebreaker step #1 – OSU and Michigan 2-0 vs common opponents

Indiana is 1-1 (Purdue and Wisconsin)

So, the tiebreaker drops Indiana, sending both rivals to the Big Ten title game. It might give fans the rarest of gifts. Michigan vs. Ohio State, two weeks in a row. And for Ryan Day, that’s either redemption or double jeopardy.

After rattling off five straight wins, Michigan enters rivalry week at 9-2 with everything still on the table. A league title, a CFP case, and bragging rights. But it all still funnels through Ohio State, the one program that has turned the Wolverines’ season from good to historic.

FOX’s Jenny Taft caught Ryan Day right after Rutgers, and he delivered the vibe surrounding The Game.  

“Guys are already talking about it on the sideline,” he said. “Everybody is already locked in and fired up. It’s going to be a hell of a week.”

Ryan Day hasn’t forgotten last year’s bruises. The loss at home, the fallout, the national ridicule, and the sting his family felt. A fifth straight loss would turn pressure into heat. And yet, there’s something different about him this season. A laser-focused edge that’s lingered since Week 1. And it even showed in how he handled Rutgers.

Ryan Day’s QB rotation sends a message before Michigan

In Week 13, Julian Sayin went 13-of-19 for 157 yards and two touchdowns, but the low volume wasn’t a concern. It was intentional. Ryan Day and Brian Hartline kept rotating backup Lincoln Kienholz, even when the score was just 7-2, a move that triggered pushback from beat reporter Patrick Murphy, who questioned why OSU would bench their offensive engine in a one-possession game. But the strategy made sense once you zoom out.

The rotation looked odd, sure, but it revealed something. It was about keeping Julian Sayin fresh, healthy, and untouched heading into The Game. Ryan Day wasn’t about to let his Heisman-contending freshman take unnecessary hits a week before the biggest game of the season. He was protecting his QB and making sure Michigan had more than one Buckeye passer to prepare for. Kienholz’s legs flashed with 37 rushing yards on three carries, even if his rhythm through the air never took shape.

Call it unusual, call it cautious, call it overthinking. But Rutgers was never the goal. Michigan was. And the QB rotation made that obvious. Because every snap this past Saturday was a step toward Ann Arbor and maybe, just maybe, toward a second shot the Big Ten didn’t even try to hide.