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Ohio State's Jack Sawyer says National Championship 'erases' loss to Michigan

Originally posted on Michigan Wolverines on SI
By Chris Breiler | Last updated May 7, 2025 2:52 PM ET

Although some of the changes to college football can be exciting, it also comes at a cost. For Michigan and Ohio State, that cost is the realization that the greatest rivalry in all of sports just doesn't carry the same significance that it once did.

As evidence, look no further than Jack Sawyer's recent comments. Appearing on Ben Roethlisberger's podcast, Sawyer reflected on Ohio State's national championship, and how winning it all essentially erased that loss to Michigan in November.

“When you win a national championship, if anyone tells you they’d rather go 1-12 and just beat the ‘Team Up North,’ you’re crazy," Sawyer said. "You’re playing this game to win championships. Make no mistake about it, no one wants to beat those guys more than we do. But at the end of the day, there’s nothing we could have done after we lost to the team up north. We have our shot to chase the ultimate goal, which is to win the national championship. Like, in the NFL, you lose four games in the regular season and you’re probably the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs. That’s kind of the approach we took, especially with the expanded playoffs, and I think it’s gonna continue to be like that."

Sawyer isn't wrong. The expanded College Football Playoff, along with recent rule changes to the Big Ten in terms of the conference championship, means that final game in November doesn't carry the same weight as it used to. In fact, it's now possible that Michigan and Ohio State could meet three times in one season under the current format.

Although Sawyer claims that 'The Game' is still the greatest rivalry in sports, he says winning a national championship is ultimately more important.

“Obviously, The Game is still gonna be The Game, because it is The Game... the best rivalry in sports. But at the end of the day, I think you’d be crazy to say you would rather beat them and not win a national championship instead of win a national championship and not beat them. In a perfect world, you do both of those things, but obviously we didn’t. But winning a national championship kind of erases all of that. For me it does, at least.”