Is it a rivalry or a full-blown identity crisis? Ryan Day and his Ohio State Buckeyes have turned ‘The Game’ against Michigan into an all-consuming obsession—and it’s backfiring in spectacular fashion. After a gut-wrenching 13-10 humiliating loss to a quarterback-less Michigan squad on the week finale of college football, Ryan Day’s team fell to 10-2. And then they watched Penn State claim the Big 10 conference title game against the No. 1 ranked Oregon Ducks. Well, what’s gone so wrong in Columbus?

On the December 3rd College Football Podcast, Rece Davis didn’t just pour salt in the wound; he called out Ohio State’s toxic mindset. Rece Davis didn’t sugarcoat it: the Buckeyes have a Michigan problem, and it’s not just on the field. “It’s crossed over the line in Columbus,” Davis said, diving headfirst into OSU’s psyche. “For the previous three years, Michigan had a better team… maybe only marginally, but they were better. And they beat….. marginally better and made plays.” Translation? The Wolverines didn’t win by luck; they won because Ohio State simply couldn’t handle the heat.

Instead of playing their own game. The Buckeyes turned this rivalry into some kind of personal vendetta like Michigan stole their lunch money. “Ohio State acted as if someone had insulted them personally, like it was their birthright,” Davis continued. “It’s freaking Michigan—it’s not your birthright to beat Michigan!” That entitlement has turned The Game into a mental minefield for Ohio State, getting folded under the pressure that they created for themselves instead of lighting the wolverines.

“They escaped the mental prison they had been in about Ohio State,” Davis stated, breaking down Michigan’s success. “They escaped it and made plays.” Meanwhile, Ryan Day and the Buckeyes doubled down on their emotional baggage, dragging it onto the field. “They’ve taken this game so far that they are not close to neutral. They’ve lost their mental approach to this game. It’s a mental block, pure and simple. They need to get back to neutral about Michigan,” Davis pointed to Trevor Moawad’s concept of Getting to Neutral—the ability to block out the noise and focus on the task at hand—as exactly what OSU is missing. But instead of being neutral, the Buckeyes are so bound up in the rivalry that it’s crippling them when it counts.

What’s next for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes?

So, what’s the fix? For starters, Ohio State needs to take a deep breath and step off the Michigan soapbox like a crazy ex. This isn’t a Shakespeare-esque-level tragedy—it’s football. Acting like beating Michigan is their divine purpose has turned this rivalry upside down for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes. Ryan Day’s tearful recounting of the toll this rivalry has taken on his family is a prime example of how deep this obsession runs in the game of perfection. At some point, you have to look around and ask yourself: Is all this drama worth the suffering?

The irony? Ohio State is the better team on paper. They’ve got the talent, the depth, and the numbers. But when it’s about Michigan, they’re playing like JUCO, like they’re trying not to lose instead of balling out raw with the wide-outs and offense they have. That’s the culture shift Ohio State Bossman needs to lead—stop turning “The Game” into the only game. Neutrality doesn’t mean apathy; it means focus.

The Buckeyes now sit at 10-2, staring down a likely New Year’s or something instead of playing in the Big 10 conference title game. It’s a bitter pill to swallow for a program that expects perfection. But as Rece Davis pointed out, this loss might be the wake-up call Ohio State desperately needs. So, it’s time for Ryan Day and his gang to drop the Michigan obsession. And focus on playing like the championship-caliber team they already are.