Urban Meyer did not lose to the University of Michigan while serving as the head football coach at Ohio State University. Not even once!
The Buckeyes defeated the Wolverines in every year from 2012 through 2018.
- 2012: Ohio State 26 — Michigan 21
- 2013: Ohio State 42 — Michigan 41
- 2014: Ohio State 42 — Michigan 28
- 2015: Ohio State 42 — Michigan 13
- 2016: Ohio State 30 — Michigan 27
- 2017: Ohio State 31 — Michigan 20
- 2018: Ohio State 62 — Michigan 27
Part of that success stemmed from obsession. Meyer was obsessed with winning the final game of the regular season against That School Up North.
The 59-year-old recently spoke to Dave Briggs of the Toledo Blade about his time in Columbus and what The Game means to him, and to every coach that has ever been on either side of the rivalry. Meyer said that it is not just another thing, but everything.
The rivalry occupies every second of your being.
When I tell people that, some people believe it, others are like “c’mon.” But it does, from the second you wake up to when you go to bed. That’s reality when you’re involved in that rivalry.
— Urban Meyer, via The Toledo Blade
Meyer was not only speaking about the actual football game itself. When he talks about how Ohio State’s rivalry with Michigan consumed his every thought, that extended beyond the gridiron.
You push each other to be great. From experience, I can tell you I knew every player [Michigan] recruited. We had profiles on every player they were recruiting. I wanted to know why we weren’t recruiting them, and, if we ever lost a player to them, I wanted to know why […]
It’s 24-7, 365. You’re aware of what they’re running on offense, on defense, what coaches they’re hiring. It occupies every second of your day.
— Urban Meyer, via The Toledo Blade
Although it might sound counterintuitive to focus on one specific team each year when there are 11 other games in the regular season, Meyer says that it is more of a situation where iron sharpens iron. He finds that the two programs are interdependent. The desire to beat the Wolverines keeps the Buckeyes sharp in every step of the process, from recruiting to game planning to mentality.
One program can’t survive without the other.
— Urban Meyer
Urban Meyer won three conference titles and a college football national championship during his tenure at Ohio State. Apparently, according to the former head coach himself, Michigan played a huge role in that success. He does not believe that either program would be as successful as they are today without the insanity of their rivalry and the focus it gets from both staffs and both groups of players.