Kyle Whittingham emphasizes Michigan-Ohio State rivalry’s national weight at Big Ten Media Days

Kyle Whittingham used his time at Big Ten Media Days to make one point clearly, the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is bigger than a conference matchup. In comments reported after his session with reporters, the longtime Utah coach said he did not want to lessen the importance of the annual Ohio State game for Michigan’s program, framing it as must-watch football far beyond the Big Ten’s footprint.

Whittingham has not been in the Michigan-Ohio State routine as a head coach inside the division, but he has been close enough to understand the rivalry’s reach. He has coached at Utah for the past two decades, which has put him in the role of a distance observer to the way the rivalry is packaged, discussed, and judged nationally each season.

That national emphasis, according to Whittingham’s remarks, is part of what makes the game different from other rivalries that stay primarily regional. When a matchup becomes a weekly storyline for recruits, media outlets, and fans across conferences, it tends to pull attention from the entire sport, and Whittingham suggested Michigan and Ohio State still treat it that way.

Whittingham’s perspective also carries weight because he is speaking from outside the Big Ten’s day-to-day competitive environment. While his program’s interests do not directly hinge on Michigan’s internal schedule, his job requires him to understand how the college football landscape evaluates teams, particularly at a time when strength of schedule narratives and marquee-name games often shape national perception.

The rivalry’s “national game” label matters because it speaks to stakes that go beyond a single result. For Michigan and Ohio State, the matchup is a measuring stick that affects recruiting conversations, brand positioning, and the way the rest of the season is interpreted, especially for teams trying to control their résumé in a sport where postseason expectations are built well before the playoffs begin.

What to watch next is how that framing lands during the season itself. For Michigan and Ohio State, the most telling test will be whether the programs treat the rivalry week the way it is commonly treated on a national stage, with the same urgency that comes from a game that is often used as a shorthand for the programs’ current trajectory.