College football is about more than just who wins the national championship in a given season, and perhaps nothing underscores that more than the deep-seated rivalry and hatred between Ohio State and Michigan.

That is why the idea of the Buckeyes and Wolverines potentially resting their starters in their annual season-ending showdown if the College Football Playoff expands was met with derision from Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti and others.

“Do you think Ohio State-Michigan, either of those teams are gonna rest their starters? Come on,” Cignetti said, per Scott Dochterman of The Athletic.

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel added, “I can’t envision a world where that would happen.”

Neither can anyone with an actual connection to the rivalry.

The winner of what is known as The Game gets yearlong bragging rights in the fiercest rivalry in the sport. It means as much, if not more, to some fans than winning the national title, and the legacy of coaches is often defined by whether they enjoy success in that game.

It is why there was genuine discussion about Ryan Day’s job status despite his overall success when Ohio State lost a fourth straight game in the rivalry in 2024 before he course corrected and led the Buckeyes to the CFP national title that season and a win over the Wolverines in 2025.

At the same time, Urban Meyer and Jim Tressel are consistently celebrated by Buckeyes fans for dominating Michigan for a combined two decades prior to Day’s arrival.

Yes, an expansion to a 24-team CFP field would likely diminish some of the results of the regular season with more teams clinching spots before the end of the regular season. But it also wouldn’t take away from the overall importance of the sport’s most notable rivalry games to fans who care so deeply.

After all, the intensity of the college basketball games between Duke and North Carolina is never dialed back even in seasons where both teams are locks to make the NCAA tournament.

For his part, Day expressed support for Big Ten commissioner Tony Pettiti’s desire to expand the CFP and suggested there will be more teams playing important games down the stretch even if traditional powerhouses like his Buckeyes could have clinched their spot.

“It’s clear that when you look at all 18 teams, that they’re going to feel like Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12, that they’re fighting for a chance to get this Playoff, and that engages their fanbase,” Day said. “It’s hard to walk out of that room and not support what Tony’s thoughts are on this.”

Whether expansion ultimately takes away from the regular season or adds to it, it won’t lead to Ohio State and Michigan overlooking the importance of The Game.

Even rival Big Ten coaches like Cignetti know that.

(FOX 2) – Another series of anti-Semitic acts in Metro Detroit is raising alarm after Sterling Heights became the latest victim of hateful language being scrawled in the community. 

Vulgar graffiti was sprayed on a playground on May 16, a week after it was found in a mobile home and only a few days after several other Southeast Michigan cities were targeted.

Big picture view:

The latest case of anti-Semitism was reported in Sterling Heights, which has seen two cases of vandalism using black spray paint to depict vulgar language.

One case was at the Sterling Estates Mobile Home Park, which took place on May 9. The second case was at a playground on May 16.

The cases were reported by a security guard who was at a nearby church.

Security footage caught three persons of interest involved in the case.

What they’re saying:

 “We want to stress that the police department does not tolerate this behavior. We encourage our residents to communicate peacefully, and we are just proactive in addressing these concerns – we’ve deployed multiple resources within this area in an attempt to identify the possible perpetrators,” said Sgt. Lamar Kashat with Sterling Heights Police Department.

The backstory:

Police from three different communities are also working to track down the culprits behind a slew of hateful flyers thrown onto the porches of homes spewing anti-Semitic language and references.

Berkley, Huntington Woods, and Oak Park were all targeted by the flyers, which were delivered in plastic bags and weighed down with corn.

Police believe the flyers were thrown out of a moving car during the overnight hours over the weekend.