Even though the rivalry weekend was over at the end of the regular season with teams like Michigan Wolverines putting the last nail in the coffin of Ohio State Buckeyes with their 13-10 upset, it never ended. With the lines of loyalty etched deeper than the Grand Canyon, there will be an exception on Jan. 20. For Michigan and Ohio State, the hatred isn’t seasonal—it’s eternal.

But what happens when the universe throws a curveball so wild that even the most die-hard Michigan alum is forced to root for their sworn enemy’s downfall at the hands of… Notre Dame Fighting Irish? It sounds impossible to even Riley Leonard, who’s left in panic after getting a glimpse of the great B1G rivalry.

The longtime maize and blue loyalist and host of The Rich Eisen Show found himself in a psychological bind that even the best sports therapists would struggle to unravel. With OSU Football set to face ND in the national championship, Rich Eisen, in his words, was “freaking out” over the idea of siding with the Fighting Irish. During an interview with Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard, Eisen couldn’t hold back. “You know what school I went to, right?” Eisen prodded.

Riley, who’s probably well aware that Eisen isn’t exactly a fan of his current or former schools (Duke and Notre Dame), was ready for it. Anticipating a full-blown Michigan-Ohio State lecture, he quipped, “I’m pretty sure it starts with an M.”

Rich Eisen confirmed, with his signature mix of humor and agony, that his Wolverine allegiance was non-negotiable. But he also invoked the age-old adage, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” to explain why he was, against every fiber of his being, rooting for Riley Leonard and Marcus Freeman to take down their greatest enemy. “I’m very well aware that the entire state of Michigan… I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you know, I wouldn’t mind if Michigan wasn’t the last team to beat Ohio State this year. I wouldn’t mind it one bit,” the class of 1990 UMich alum admitted as if confessing to a crime.

For context, Michigan’s 13-10 upset over Ohio State during rivalry weekend was a victory savored like fine wine by Wolverines fans. It was the fourth straight win for Michigan over their fiercest rival, cementing their dominance in recent years. But with Ohio State clawing their way to the championship game, the reigning champs’ (until Monday) status as the team that delivered the Buckeyes’ last defeat was suddenly at risk. For some Wolverines fans, this wasn’t just about college football pride—it was personal. The rivalry runs so deep that Michigan fans were half-jokingly praying for the game to end in a tie or even get postponed indefinitely.

Even the innocent Norman residents like Riley Leonard, caught in the crossfire of this absurd rivalry moment, couldn’t help but laugh. “I saw something about how all of Michigan’s rooting for the game to somehow magically get postponed or end in a tie,” he said, clearly amused by the level of pettiness on display.

Leonard’s amusement, however, belies the pressure that now rests on his shoulders. For die-hard people from Ann Arbor like Eisen, Leonard isn’t just Notre Dame’s quarterback—he’s a temporary Wolverine ally, tasked with protecting the honor of U-M’s win streak against the Buckeyes.

A Michigan alum through and through, Eisen has spent years trolling Ohio State fans with the precision of a surgeon. His children have been raised to “root for Michigan and whoever is playing Ohio State.” And yet, here he was, telling a 22-year-old, “I’m there for you on Monday night. I appreciate you, man.” It was as close to a blood oath as a Michigan fan could make without signing away their soul.

For the consecutive Bowl MVP (Sugar and Orange) and Notre Dame, Eisen’s reluctant support adds another layer of intrigue to an already compelling matchup. The Fighting Irish haven’t played Ohio State in a game of this magnitude in years, and Leonard has been at the center of their resurgence.

If Leonard and his teammates can pull off the win, they won’t just be claiming a national title—they’ll also be doing Michigan fans a favor they never thought they’d ask for.

Riley Leonard wants it more than anybody else

Riley Leonard’s journey to Norman has a clear purpose: chasing championship glory. After transferring from the Blue Devils, the talented quarterback didn’t mince words when asked why he made the leap to join Marcus Freeman’s squad.

“Throughout this whole offseason, everybody asked me why I came to Notre Dame. I’d give a lot of different answers, but the truth is, I came here to win a National Championship,” Leonard shared with the press ahead of his Natty game. “This is the best team that gives me the best chance to do that. At the end of the day, I know I made the right decision.”

Under Coach Marcus Freeman’s leadership, the Fighting Irish aim to live up to those high expectations. Freeman echoed the sentiment with confidence: “Every football season, this is the expectation.” Leonard and Freeman share the same vision: a national championship. The Fighting Irish are hungry, and with Leonard at the helm, they believe they have the pieces in place to finally break through.