Michigan Defender Says Ohio State's National Championship Was Not A Real Win

As if the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry needed any more fuel added to the fire.

Wolverines pass rusher Derrick Moore added some fuel to the already-burning fire of the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry. / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Wolverines defensive end Derrick Moore added more fuel to the blazing fire that is the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry with comments he made during Big Ten media days on Thursday. Moore was asked how he felt watching the rival Buckeyes win the national championship this past season. The senior edge rusher took the opportunity to instead throw a shot across the bow at Ohio State.

"I congratulate them on the win, but you know it’s not a real win if y’all don’t beat us," Moore said. "So, I’m gonna congratulate them on their win, but this year is gonna be different."

The Wolverines entered The Game against Ohio State sporting just a 6-5 record, but went on to shock the eventual national champions, 13-10. After losing to Michigan, Ohio State went on to win its last four games and the national title.

"I don’t want to say it’s pride," Moore said when asked if the Wolverines took pride in putting a blemish on the Buckeyes' title-winning season. "We just know, like, if you’re on either team or a fan or part of either team, you just know how important that game is. And you know, with this playoff expansion, if the playoff expansion wasn’t around, they wouldn’t have won the national championship.

"So we pretty much look at it like, great, man. Y’all had a nice little easy little run. But we helped y’all along the way. We pretty much helped y’all build back up. But like I said, after that game, they dominated everybody who came in front of them. So I give all credit to them."

Moore's words are sure to make their way to the Buckeyes locker room before the two storied rivals meet on November 29. But it's not as if The Game needs any more juice.

The Wolverines, in the immediate aftermath of the shocking 13-10 win, planted a Michigan flag at midfield of Ohio Stadium, sparking a brawl between the two teams. Michigan coach Sherrone Moore, in his own comments at Big Ten Media Days, stated that there would be no more flag-planting in the 2025 iteration of the contest.

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