Michigan
How Ohio State’s national championship affects the Michigan rivalry
The book on Ohio State’s 2024 season is closed, culminating in a 34-23 victory over Notre Dame for the program’s first national title since 2014.
Any other year, the Buckeyes’ story would have been over on Nov. 30, when Ryan Day and his team fumbled away an opportunity to exorcise their Michigan demons, losing at home as 20 ½-point favorites.
Sixth-year safety Quinten Johnson, the only player on the Wolverines’ roster who had ever lost to OSU, said entering the game the team was going to embrace the villain role.
It did. Michigan’s defense bullied the Buckeyes in the trenches and smothered them in the secondary, while a sputtering offense showed its mettle on its final drive, running the ball on 10 straight plays before kicking a go-ahead 21-yard field goal with 45 seconds left.
A talented OSU senior class, of whom many decided to forego the draft after last season for another crack at a title, finished their careers 0-4 against the Wolverines and watched (and reacted) as they planted a block “M” flag at midfield. Before the game, OSU fans heckled the maize and blue villains persistently.
When the clock hit zero, the Wolverines waived goodbye to a sea of red in the stands as boos and chants of “(expletive) Ryan Day” reverberated through Ohio Stadium.
But thanks to the expanded 12-team playoff, the Buckeyes were able to add a redemption chapter to their story and were wearing a national champion cape at the end.
In the history of the college football, no team has faced a tougher path to the championship. OSU fell to No. 8 in the CFP bracket after losing to Michigan but outscored its four postseason opponents – No. 9 Tennessee, No. 1 Oregon, No. 5 Texas and No. 7 Notre Dame – by a combined score of 145-75.
“The story gets to get told now, and it’s a great story about a bunch of guys who have just overcome some really tough situations,” Day told ESPN on the field right after the game. “There’s a point where there’s a lot of people that counted us out, and we just kept swinging and kept fighting. It’s the reason why you get into coaching is to see guys overcome things, learn life lessons, and then reach their dreams. This is what happened tonight.”
Day was in the toughest situation of anyone in the program. Jim Harbaugh lost his first five meetings against the Buckeyes, and even as frustrations mounted from the Michigan fanbase that was yearning to stop an eight-game skid in the rivalry, the former Michigan quarterback never faced the scrutiny Day was under after losing this year’s game.
OSU administration stood by Day immediately after the loss, and he rewarded them with a title. Athletic director Ross Bjork knew the Buckeyes would still reach the expanded CFP this season and wanted to present a united front before the team began its playoff journey.
Perhaps Day wouldn’t have kept his job if it weren’t for the 12-team field. Or perhaps, if the expanded playoff was instituted earlier, he would have gotten a rematch against Michigan in the postseason.
The previous three meetings all were top-five matchups, with the loser likely earning a playoff spot as well.
Michigan went 15-0 during its national title run in 2023, which included an interception from Ohio native Rod Moore to stamp a Michigan 30-24 victory in Ann Arbor.
Whose title is more impressive surely will be debated between fanbases for years to come. The Wolverines didn’t face the same gauntlet of a schedule as OSU did this year but only three of their games were decided by one score.
The Buckeyes (14-2) beat six teams this season that finished inside the Associated Press Top 25, including a revenge game against the Ducks, but they did lose to an unranked Michigan team without star cornerback Will Johnson and tight end Colston Loveland and with a former walk-on at quarterback.
After the loss, according to The Athletic, the Day family hired around-the-clock security at their house after receiving threats.
The morning after the game, I was eating breakfast at my hotel near Columbus and overheard an OSU fan lambasting Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly for their game plan against the Wolverines. He said he wouldn’t be as excited if the Buckeyes went on to win it all.
The emotions of the loss were still fresh, and surely fans can revel in a national title no matter the path. But the 2024 season is now over, and the countdown is officially on for the 2025 showdown in Ann Arbor.
The result of the Nov. 30 game might have fueled Buckeyes’ national title run, but it also generated a wave of momentum for Michigan. Sherrone Moore’s program followed with another upset over Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl and signed its first top-10 recruiting class since 2019, highlighted by five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood.
Even before this year’s matchup, Day told a local TV station that losing to Michigan was one of the worst things that has happened in his life. The rivalry is historically known for both programs being consumed by each other 365 days a year.
The primary critique of the expanded CFP was it would devalue regular-season matchups. The Buckeyes wouldn’t have been at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta celebrating Monday night if it wasn’t for the new format.
But considering the postgame fracas and the emotion on both sides of the rivalry after the upset, it’s hard not to envision the rivalry cooling off anytime soon. Day will still be facing pressure to beat Michigan and avoid falling to 1-5 in the series, while Moore will be looking to lead the Wolverines back to the CFP after finishing 8-5 this season, especially with a more favorable schedule in 2025.
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Michigan mother of three talks about how she broke her kratom addiction
Melanie Clark, 35, of Kincheloe in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, has fought a four-year-long addiction to kratom, the so-called “gas station heroin.”
Michigan lawmakers are debating a complete ban on the sale of kratom products in the state, citing cases of addiction and instances of death from people consuming the herbal supplement known as the “gas station heroin.”
Here is what to know about this unregulated herbal substance commonly sold in convenience stores, gas stations and tobacco shops across Michigan:
What is kratom?
Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia whose leaves contain compounds that can produce stimulant effects at low doses and opioid-like effects at higher doses. It is manufactured and sold in different forms: liquid tonics, tablets, gummies, powders and capsules.
What is kratom used for?
Kratom is marketed as a herbal supplement for energy, mood, pain relief or opioid withdrawal, though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved any of those uses. Some kratom users take it to get off heroin or fentanyl, according to University of Michigan researchers.
How is kratom pronounced?
Kratom is pronounced KRA-tum. The letter “a” takes a short “a” sound, as in crab or crack.
What is 7-OH?
7-hydroxymitragynin, or 7-OH, is an alkaloid found in kratom leaves. It is manufactured in a synthetic form to produce an opioid-like sensation of pain relief or sedation. It is more potent than pure leaf kratom and sometimes referred to as the hard liquor version of kratom (if pure leaf kratom were considered beer, which typically has a much lower percentage of alcohol by volume compared with distilled liquor).
Is kratom an opioid or addictive?
Kratom users, substance abuse counselors and doctors report symptoms of dependence and withdrawal from the substance, particularly when users exceed the recommended serving size.
The Drug Enforcement Agency has warned that kratom has “sedative effects” that “can lead to addiction.”
On July 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration moved to declare certain 7-hydroxymitragynine synthetic kratom products a Schedule I controlled substance, the same class of drugs as heroin, ecstasy and peyote. As of April 9, the substance had not yet been formally added to the list of Schedule I drugs, which would effectively ban 7-OH nationwide.
Does kratom have side effects?
The FDA has warned that kratom use can lead to liver toxicity, seizures or substance use disorder.
Withdrawal from the substance can lead to increased anxiety, insomnia and psychiatric episodes, according to University of Michigan researchers.
Dr. Eliza Hutchinson, a family physician based in Ann Arbor who is a clinical instructor at UM, said her substance abuse patients describe withdrawal from kratom as “the worst influenza of your life — times 10.”
CARE Southeastern Michigan, a recovery advocacy group, has reported some individuals experiencing psychotic episodes after taking 7-OH, the synthetic form of kratom.
The FDA has also said kratom is “not appropriate for use as a dietary supplement” and unsafe as an additive to food. The powder and liquid forms of kratom are sometimes marketed as an additive to shakes and smoothies.
Does kratom show up on a drug test?
Yes, if it’s part of a specialized screening of narcotics and other substances that looks for active ingredients in kratom products.
Some substance abuse clinics in Michigan are starting to test for it, said Madison Lauder, a counselor at The Guidance Center in Southgate.
“We see you so often, we have added into our (drug test) panel,” Lauder said.
Is there any age restriction on buying kratom in Michigan?
No, Michigan has no laws governing the sale of kratom and related synthetics, such as 7-OH.
But retailers set their own rules. Some stores won’t sell to anyone under age 21.
Some of the 7-OH kratom products on the shelves of stores are labeled “21+.”
But there’s no law on the books in Michigan requiring buyers to show a photo ID when buying kratom, as is required to purchase alcohol, tobacco or marijuana.
Which states have bans on selling kratom?
Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin have outright bans on the sale of kratom.
In December, Ohio’s Board of Pharmacy used the state’s controlled substance laws to ban the retail sale, distribution and possession of 7-OH and other synthetic forms of kratom, board spokesman Cameron McNamee said.
The Ohio Board of Pharmacy has a separate proposal to ban natural kratom products that remains in the rulemaking process, McNamee said.
Some cities and counties across the country have imposed varying local sales bans, including Anaheim, Calif., Spokane, Wash., and the New York City suburbs of Nassau County on Long Island, according to published reports.
What’s the status of legislation to ban kratom in Michigan?
On March 18, the Republican-controlled Michigan House voted 56-48 on legislation that would completely ban the sale of kratom products in Michigan. All 46 Democrats and two Republicans opposed the legislation.
Democrats cited a lack of any committee hearings on the legislation.
“There is no question of the growing concern around this product, and no one is saying, with this vote or otherwise, that the concern isn’t justified,” the House Democratic caucus said in a statement. “What we are saying is an outright ban, without any testimony or dialogue, is not the solution.”
The bill moved to the Democratic-controlled Senate, where Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, assigned it to her Government Operations Committee.
Some kratom industry interests and individual users have advocated for a ban on just the 7-OH synthetic form of kratom.
Sen. Kevin Hertel, the St. Clair Shores Democrat who chairs the Senate Health Policy Committee, said the House’s passage of a total ban on kratom has changed the debate toward prohibition, which he favors until the FDA can further study the substance and its impact on the human body.
clivengood@detroitnews.com
Staff Writers Anne Snabes and Beth LeBlanc contributed.
For much of April, showers and melting snow has swamped Michigan, flooding homes, businesses, cottages, roadways; threatening and destroying infrastructure, including dams, and forcing what is likely hundreds of Michiganders to evacuate.
The unusual weather put the entire state under a flood watch.
It’s not over.
To help, the state’s Emergency Operations Center — which was activated on April 10, along with the governor’s state of emergency declaration — created a digital map identifying shelters and damaged areas.
There also is a livestream of the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex.
As of Monday morning, the water level at the dam had dropped slightly, and was less than 8 inches below the top, which is still a threat to both the community in the event of a spillover — or structural failure.
The map, which the emergency center is calling a dashboard, shows warming and cooling centers and where people can get food. It tracks where the tornadoes touched down, and the roadways that are under water, were eroded away and are completely washed out.
The emergency center also is providing more information on its website on how to ask for help, what state and federal assistance might be available, and how to get emergency email alerts from the State Police.
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com
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