Ryan Day and Kyle Whittingham are taking drastically different approaches to The Game

Rivalries are a major part of what makes college football so great, and in a way so different from any other sport. Fanbases have passed down hatred of a regional rival through generations, and when the two teams take the field against each other, it doesn't feel like any of the bad blood is being manufactured. Few rivalries exemplify what makes college football great quite like The Game between Ohio State and Michigan.

Ryan Day's dominance in college football, but constant falling short against Michigan, became a massive story and even led to calls for his firing. When Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL and Michigan won again, it felt like it could've ended Day's time in Columbus. Instead, Day broke through and won the National Championship, before beating Sherrone Moore in his final game in the rivalry.

The Game is one of those rivalries where the fans truly want everyone involved to hate each other, and failing in the matchup is not an option. This offseason, as The Game heads in a different direction with Kyle Whittingham taking over the Wolverines, both fanbases are being sent in circles by the actions of the two head coaches.

Kyle Whittingham and Ryan Day couldn't approach The Game more differently

Kyle Whittingham takes over the Michigan Wolverines after their first loss in forever against Ohio State. After such a dominant run in The Game, Michigan fans want to get back to putting their rival down, and the pressure will be on Whittingham to deliver those wins. While Michigan fans have made their hatred known, their new head coach isn't making their feelings known the same way.

At Big Ten Media Day, Kyle Whittingham started a storm when he downplayed the rivalry, saying there's no place for the hatred.

After Michigan and Ohio State fans went berserk on their beliefs that The Game matters more than anything else, Kyle Whittingham could've turned around and changed his tune. Instead, Kyle Whittingham doubled down, saying he's all for whatever he thinks gives them the best chance of winning.

While Kyle Whittingham continues to downplay the rivalry, Ryan Day continues to make it as if the only game on the schedule is the regular season finale. Over the weekend, Ryan Day made another move to prove he's all about beating Michigan as he moved Senior Day to the Week 1 opener instead of holding it during the week of The Game.

Ryan Day has taken this approach in the past, and at times it seemed like the importance he was placing on The Game while continuing to lose was taking a serious toll on him. There needs to be an importance on winning against your rivals, but when it starts to feel as if it's becoming detrimental, it may need to take a step back.

Kyle Whittingham's approach could go two ways: refusing to acknowledge The Game could drive Ohio State fans crazy, but if the Wolverines lose, the fanbase will demand he puts extra attention on the matchup.

In the end, both fanbases will argue over which approach works the best, but in the end, even the results on the field may not tell the full truth. The happy medium may be the best approach, where there should be some hatred when The Game arrives, but making it the entire focus of the season could set the team up for a major letdown.

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