A few months ago, I got an assignment at our sister plant site in Michigan. Seeing as this was right after Michigan won the title, I was expecting quite a few jabs from my co-workers. However, I saw this as a great opportunity to conversate with our rival cohorts in a respectful setting, and I got the idea to bring up some topics to be able to share at a later date (which is now). 

First off, being able to conversate in a workplace with respected coworkers is 1000x better and more informative than on a keyboard or sitting at bar. And as I've always said, what makes OSU/UM different than other rivalries is the respect (which Jimmy has nearly ruined) each program and fanbase has for each other. We hate them. But we respect them. Again, which Jimmy basically ruined. 

Jim Harbaugh aside, here are some of the talking points and their general responses. 

• When asked about the 2024 season  - The majority are pretty conservative in their expectations for this season, but they see a path to the playoffs. Not confident they can throw the ball and lose a ton of linemen. Edwards is back and will be able to win games for them, but he will need some help. Texas and Ohio State are their major concerns. They think they can overpower Washington and USC and play enough ball control offense to win those games, making 10-2 their worst case scenario, which should get into the 12 team playoff. 
• Specifically about Ohio State - Pretty well all in agreement that OSU's weakness (and I agree) is defending gap schemes, which Michigan was able to take advantage of the past 3 seasons. OSU has had to bring extra help to defend those, which has allowed their TE's to take advantage, and also open up some trick plays. Their path to victory is going to have to be the same. Ball control on offense, utilizing QB runs, and then taking advantage of mismatches if Jim Knowles LB's do not improve in gap integrity. If they do that, they think they can get in the head of Ryan Day who will be picturing 1-4 in his head. They believe the key is a fast start, which will get the Horseshoe panicking. 
• On Chip Kelly - This one has them a little worried about the point above. None of the fans I talked to were really worried about his scheme and what that can bring, but they are more concerned that Day won't be calling all of the shots. Kelly has experience and without having to be the head guy in charge, they think it'll help OSU battle through adversity, as he is more likely to stick to his plan, and not overreact. They pointed out that both the 2021 and 2022 games were close until OSU was hit with adversity, and then the panic set in. 
• On the 2023 game - Pretty high level of concern for Michigan. They acknowledged that the 2023 Buckeyes were the worst version of a Ryan Day team, and OSU nearly won it on the road. They noted the drive in which OSU ran it 7 or 8 straight times right into the endzone, which was something OSU did not do in 2021 or 2022. One guy specifically said he thought the game was over when OSU did that. He said, it felt like a turning point. In 2021 and 2022 Michigan was tougher in every aspect. "When Henderson came out of the locker room and ran it straight down our guts, I got a bad feeling in my gut. Thankfully, Corum and Edwards responded."
• Why Michigan will win the game in 2024 - We don't know how good OSU will be at QB, and they lose Harrison which was their entire offense. I know they always seem to reload at WR, but those are big shoes to fill. If we can continue to take advantage or poor LB play, we can get the stadium into panic mode, which is where Michigan feasts. We slowly knock you down, and then when you stumble, we pounce. 
• Why OSU will win the game in 2024 - OSU is the better team in nearly every way possible on paper. If they execute against us the same way they do when they play a "D-2" school, they should win the game. But we (Michigan) are rarely ever the better team on paper. We win with culture. "OSU and their 5 star prodigies from Prep Schools have to prove they aren't scared of us. If they aren't scared and don't let the nerves of a potential 1-4 get in their head, it'll be tough for us.'
• On the sign stealing saga - Stealing signs isn't what caused OSU's defense to not maintain their gap assignments on defense. With how we ran the ball in 2021 and 2022, Harbaugh should've personally walked over and gave Ryan Day our playbook, because we still would've ran through you guys. 
• On expanded playoffs and its impact on The Game - There is definitely an impact. I mean you guys nearly and should've been National Champs in 2022. You guys are built to beat the top tier teams. Just haven't been built to beat us. It'd be stupid for Day to spend all offseason working on beating our schemes, because Texas, Oregon, Georgia aren't going to be doing this stuff. That is part of what allowed us to start winning these games. OSU is built to beat high powered offenses that run the spread. Harbaugh saw an opportunity to take advantage of this by attacking your defense with force instead of speed, and keeping the ball out of Ryan Day's hands. Who else does that against you, and actually has enough talent to make it work? 
• Should the game be moved due to the possibility of back to backs - No. We are losing enough of what originally made this sport great. Having 11 games of lead up to The Game adds drama. If there are back to backs, so be it. If that is the case, there will still be incentive other than just the rivalry. If a team wins both games, they lock up a 1st round Bye. Ohio State fans watching Michigan and vise versa is what is great about the game. If we play in Week 6, who gives a crap what the other team does after that. 
• On the 3rd base comments - "Everyone always leaves out the 2nd part of that quote! It wasn't taking a shot at Ryan Day for inheriting a good job. Good for him, that is what we all want. Acting like he hit a triple is what the jab was about. Him not being humble about it and running his mouth after beating us 1 time with one of the greatest teams ever just put into his lap. I could've coached that team to the playoffs".

Overall, I really enjoyed these conversations. There were several more, but I didn't want to bore you everything. In summary, I tend to agree with most other than the sign stealing and the 3rd base comments. They are right that OSU needs to improve their gap defense, and that has been the area which they have taken advantage of. I also agree that Chip Kelly will help calm the waters in moments of adversity. Not really sure why they look down on OSU getting 5 stars from IMG's, but I guess it is a sense of pride when you beat those kids. Also not sure when Ryan Day ever ran his mouth, other than *allegedly* telling Harbaugh he'd drop 100 on him for trying to rat out OSU. Thanks for reading!