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Joshua Perry emphatic that Ohio State cannot de-emphasize Michigan game

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•about 10 hours•

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Ryan Day and Ohio State lost to Michigan again. © Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ohio State winning the national championship has brought a lot of confusion regarding the loss to Michigan. This year made four consecutive defeats in the rivalry for head coach Ryan Day, the lowest moment for the Buckeyes in a while. Just a few weeks later, they were on top of the college football world after a historic College Football Playoff run.

So does this de-emphasize The Game for Ohio State, with proof they can lose to Michigan and still win a national championship? Former player and current Big Ten Network Analyst Joshua Perry says no. He wants Ohio State to have a high level of intensity against Michigan on a yearly basis, no matter the circumstances.

“It certainly feels like that game lost a little bit of the consequence,” Perry said. “Typically, that would be a loss that is disqualifying to compete in the postseason. So, I hope for the players in that building, it’s still one of the program objectives.

“I hope, for fans, they still show up with the same intensity that they have every year before this regardless of what the outcome of this year was. It’s the most special game in college football, in my opinion. I don’t want it to lose any of that feeling.”

Perry played four seasons at Ohio State, all under head coach Urban Meyer. This means he was undefeated against Michigan and was dominant at times. Nobody valued beating “That Team Up North” more than Meyer, who still refers to them as “the Wolverines” instead of “Michigan” as a media member.

So to Perry, there is almost nothing more important than beating Michigan. He was a part of Ohio State’s 2014 national championship-winning team too.

Nov. 29, 2025, will certainly be an interesting day. Ohio State will head back to Ann Arbor, a place they have not won since 2019. Even with a national championship under his belt, you have to imagine there will be some sort of pressure on Day to break through after four seasons. To find the Buckeyes’ last five-game losing streak in The Game, you have to go back to the 1920.

Regardless of outside noise, Perry is hoping Ohio State keeps the same level of intensity for the Michigan game when stepping into the Big House.