Kyle Whittingham could be forgiven. He merely adopted the ultimate rivalry in all of sports.He was not born in it. Molded by it. He’s only seen the light of it now that he’s in the twilight of his college coaching career.There’s no mincing words when it comes to Michigan and Ohio State. The two sides hate each other.They didn’t call the 10 year period between Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler the 10 year respectful competition.They called it a 10-year war. Jim Harbaugh said before Big Ten Media Days in 2021 that his team was going to beat Ohio State or they were going to die trying. On Thursday, Whittingham struck a noticeably different tone. "Hate's a strong word," Whittingham said."But I want to win that game as badly as anybody in Ann Arbor."Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham watches a play during the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 18, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectThat’s a far cry from euphemisms such as war, or being willing to die in pursuit of a victory over your school’s favorite rival.Perhaps Whittingham is trying to distance himself from some of the animosity, and frankly, immaturity that has taken place in the rivalry over the last five years.Then again, isn’t animosity and immaturity part of what makes rivalries what they are? A Different Angle Then again, perhaps this is a changing of the guard in college sports. Whittingham wasn’t the only one to strike a different tone when talking about the Buckeyes at Media Days. Bryce Underwood consistently said that his team was not going to obsess over one matchup. The goal is to go 1-0 every week. That’s admirable and understandable to want to keep the main focus on the team they’re playing in any given week.It’s also true that “What are you doing to beat Ohio State today?” is plastered all over Schembechler Hall. Beating Ohio State is a requirement, or at least it used to be.What do I mean that it used to be? Well, college football has changed.There are two games in the history of the rivalry that have a claim for the greatest game in the history between the two teams.Between the stakes attached and animosity involved, those games took place in 2006 and 2023.The stakes were simple. The winner of the game that day would be playing in the postseason.Losing was not only a loss of bragging rights for a year, but elimination. Make what you will of the way the BCS era handled the 2006 Michigan Wolverines, but they would not have had to worry about that had they simply taken care of business in Columbus on the last Saturday in November.In 2023, the stakes were higher than that. With all the sniping back and forth about Michigan’s sign-stealing investigation and Jim Harbaugh’s suspension, the tension between the two schools was at an all-time high. On the field, both teams were undefeated and playing for a spot in the Big Ten championship game. Nov. 25, 2023; Ann Arbor, Mi., USA;