The Ohio State–Michigan rivalry is the crown jewel of the college football regular season. For decades, 'The Game' has served as a dramatic finale, with Big Ten titles and national hopes often on the line. But as the College Football Playoff eyes expansion to 24 teams, one prominent voice is urging the two titans to rethink their calendar.
Austin Meek of The Athletic dropped a hot take this week: move the Buckeyes–Wolverines clash from its traditional late-November slot to October. His reasoning? With a massive playoff field, the final weekend of the regular season could lose its edge—becoming more like the NFL's Week 18, where only a handful of teams are truly fighting for something.
“If the CFP expands, my prediction is that the crescendo of the regular season will hit earlier. Probably sometime in October,” Meek wrote. He argues that by late November, fans are worn out from analyzing bracket scenarios, and teams are banged up. In October, everyone is still fresh and every game matters more.
Meek’s argument has sparked a firestorm. He believes that moving the rivalry to mid-season would preserve its intensity and keep it from being just another game in a bloated playoff picture. “In October, everybody will have something to play for,” he explained, noting that teams would be warmed up but not yet battered.
But try telling that to the fans in Ann Arbor and Columbus. Social media erupted with opposition, with many insisting that tradition is non-negotiable. The Game belongs at the end of the season, they argue, where the stakes are highest and the weather adds to the drama. Changing it would strip away what makes it special.
This debate echoes broader tensions in college sports, where traditions are colliding with the realities of a rapidly evolving landscape. The push for more playoff games and revenue has already reshaped schedules and conference alignments. Could the holy grail of rivalries be next?
For now, the Big Ten has shown no interest in moving the game. But the conversation is a sign of how CFP expansion is forcing tough questions about what matters most. As one fan put it: “Some things are sacred. This is one of them.”
Whether or not the calendar changes, one thing is certain: the passion around this rivalry isn't going anywhere. The debate itself proves that The Game still holds a unique place in the sport—one that no amount of playoff expansion can easily diminish.
