Michigan 'pissed off' Ohio State into a national title run, Mike Vrabel says

The moment Michigan beat heavy favorite Ohio State late last season, some analysts used the occasion to pour water on the Buckeyes’ national championship hopes.

That talk proved wrong as Ohio State dominated on its College Football Playoff run and former alum Mike Vrabel believes that loss in The Game played a big role.

“They just pissed them off, I think,” Vrabel said on The Triple Option podcast. “At least they used [Michigan] to piss them off and end the tournament.”

Ohio State certainly used something as inspiration, going on to outscore opponents 145 to 75, including dominant victories against Tennessee and No. 1 team Oregon.

Still, any loss to Michigan hurts for Ohio State, especially one that came when the Buckeyes were something like three-touchdown favorites, and given how poorly the Wolverines offense had performed all season up to that point.

Then came that infamous moment when Michigan players tried to plant their Block M flag at midfield, only to arouse a violent response from Ohio State players, resulting in a huge melee that got police involved and saw pepper spray used against both sides.

From that low point when it appeared the Ohio State season was all but lost, Ryan Day rallied his troops and, despite missing out on a Big Title title and a first-round bye, was still able to make a historic College Football Playoff run for their first national title in a decade.

Vrabel, an Ohio State alum and the current New England Patriots coach, watched the Buckeyes’ run when he was a consultant for the Cleveland Browns.

He played linebacker for the Buckeyes during the mid 1990s and served on Urban Meyer’s staff in Columbus from 2011-13 as linebackers and defensive line coach.

(Triple Option)

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