Buckeyes reveal what has changed since 2024 loss to Michigan Wolverines

The Big Game is just days away.

For the 121st all-time meeting between Ohio State and Michigan, the two sides will travel back up north to Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, Nov. 29, with kickoff slated for 12:00 p.m. EST. This will be the last game of the 2025 regular season for both sides, with an undefeated season looking to remain intact for the Buckeyes.

The two sides' storied rivalry is ranked as the 14th most-played rivalry in Division I-A history.

In the last meeting, Ohio State fell, 13-10, in front of their home fans at The Shoe. It was a disappointing showing, especially for a team like Ohio State that was favored to go out there and waltz away with a win.

“Each year is probably a different story when you start it from beginning to end, and what transpired during that game," Buckeye head coach Ryan Day said when reflecting on last year's game. "For me, it's just continually stepping back and looking like ‘How do we get ourselves to that point during the season, and how do we perform during the game?'”

While the struggles and loss did ultimately lead to the Buckeyes growing and learning from their mistakes before winning a national championship, the loss to the Wolverines became the fourth-straight defeat dating back to before the COVID-19 pandemic. Clearly, things needed to change with hopes of overcoming the team up north.

“The last four years have not been good enough; we lost the game," Day said. "You have to be critical and figure out ‘Okay, what needs to be better.’”

The Buckeyes have routinely dominated teams in 2025.

Whether it's the offense being led by Heisman candidate, quarterback Julian Sayin, or the defense being anchored by two potential top 15 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, safety Caleb Downs and linebacker Arvell Reese, Ohio State is looking unstoppable.

The Buckeyes have also gotten big breakout performances from freshman tailbacks Isaiah West and Bo Jackson, while also seeing the continued elite-play from wideouts Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate.

Everyone collectively has been bought into the Buckeyes' mission to chase back-to-back national championships this season.

“There are certain things schematically, certain things during the season that you feel like you have to prepare for to be ready and have things ready to go for this game, and then there is also just the mindset going into the game you have to make sure you’re ready for," Day said.

While some of the players on the roster at this point of the season are a bit banged up, they should be relatively healthy and ready to go on Saturday.

When asked about how last year's loss affected him, Day felt that the failure helped him grow. Certainly, with Ohio State being undefeated this season and the No. 1 nationally ranked team, that seems to be the case.

“I don’t know, we are all a sum of our experiences and you learn from things, you grow from things, and you just try and do everything you can," Day said. “I can't really say, we all grow, we do things well, we have our failures, but you have to grow from them."

The only question now: can Day overcome the hurdle that is Michigan?