Urban Meyer Picks the Top Must-Watch Game on 2026 College Football Schedule

The Fox Sports analyst went 7-0 against this team and now watches two former assistants run the sidelines in this year's No. 1 must-watch game

Former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer had a predictable response when asked to provide college football's No. 1 must-watch game this year. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer got the first pick when The Triple Option counted down the top five must-watch games of the 2026 college football season. He did not need much time with it. Co-host Rob Stone was still explaining the rules when Meyer cut in.

"I mean, you can answer it for me," Meyer said. "This is the same one that Fox Sports picks every year."

Stone knew where this was headed. "You're going late November," he said.

Urban Meyer picks Michigan at Ohio State as his No. 1 game of 2026

"It's in Columbus, Ohio this year," Meyer said. "It's going to be two guys that worked on my coaching staff, Ryan Day and Kyle Whittingham, two guys arguably the top two coaches in college football, if not certainly top five.

"Look at their records, look at what they've done. Elite coaches, elite people. And that by far is No. 1. It will always be No. 1."

Michigan plays at Ohio State on Saturday, Nov. 28 at noon ET on Fox. It is the ninth straight meeting in the series to land on that network and the 19th in a row to kick off at noon, so the crack about who picks this game every year was fair.

Ryan Day, Kyle Whittingham both coached on Urban Meyer's staffs

The staff line is the part worth sitting with, because it checks out. Kyle Whittingham ran Meyer's defense at Utah in 2003 and 2004, including the 12-0 season that ended with a Fiesta Bowl win over Pittsburgh, and he took over the Utes when Meyer left for Florida.

Ryan Day listens to Urban Meyer during a press conference to announce his retirement in 2018. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ryan Day was a graduate assistant on Meyer's first Florida staff in 2005, joined Ohio State as co-offensive coordinator in January 2017 and replaced Meyer in Columbus two years later.

The 66-year-old Whittingham stepped down at Utah in December after 21 seasons and a 177-88 record, then took the Michigan job. Both sidelines on Nov. 28 will be run by men who once worked for the guy picking the game on television.

What is at stake in The Game on Nov. 28 in Columbus

Meyer's own history in the rivalry is hard to ignore. The Ohio native went 7-0 against Michigan from 2012 through 2018 and has said that record means more to him than the 2014 national title.

Day's part in the rivalry isn't nearly as impressive. The Buckeyes' coach is 2-4 against the Wolverines, with wins in 2019 and last November's 27-9 result in Ann Arbor, which ended a four-game losing streak in the series. Ohio State has not won this game at home since 2018. Michigan still leads the all-time series 62-52-6.

Ohio State, Michigan outlooks for the 2026 season

Ohio State brings back quarterback Julian Sayin, who completed 76.7% of his throws with 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions last season, and receiver Jeremiah Smith, who caught 87 passes for 1,243 yards and 12 scores and finished sixth in Heisman voting. The Buckeyes' year ended with a 24-14 loss to Miami in the Cotton Bowl playoff quarterfinal, and Indiana won the national title.

"It's an important preseason camp," Day said at Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday. "The season that we have ahead of us is going to be a monster and we are fired up about that."

As Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) goes, so too will the Wolverines follow in 2026. A big year for the sophomore would mean a lot to the fans in Ann Arbor. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Michigan's offseason was messier. Sherrone Moore was fired in December after the school found credible evidence of an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. The Wolverines finished 9-4, lost 41-27 to Texas in the Citrus Bowl and ranked 11th in the Big Ten in scoring offense.

The former Utah coach kept sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood, who threw for 2,428 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a freshman, and hired Jason Beck to run the offense. Whittingham is set to make his first Big Ten Media Days appearance in Michigan gear on Thursday.

The rest of the must-watch game countdown included Oregon's trip to Columbus, Ohio State at Texas, Lane Kiffin's return to Ole Miss and Miami and Notre Dame in November.