Ohio State is a heavy favorite to repeat as college football national champions this year, but many Buckeyes fans are more focused on the team trying to snap its losing streak against Michigan. Nick Saban finds that to be asinine.
The Buckeyes have lost four straight games to Michigan. The unranked Wolverines won last year’s game 13-10, but Ohio State still went on to win the national title.
Some Buckeyes fans seem to care more about shutting up their rival than winning championships. During his Wednesday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Saban called those fans “psychotic.”
“I said it last year, these Ohio State fans are psychotic about this, man. They all need to go to see a doctor some place. I’d rather win the national championship than beat Michigan,” Saban said. “That’s just me, although I’d love to beat Michigan, don’t get me wrong.
“When I was at Ohio State the last year we beat them up there, similar situation except in reverse. They were ranked really high. We had already lost two games. We had a terrible negative week of practice, but Woody (Hayes) came and talked to the team and said this is an opportunity for a great win. That was the difference in the mindset of how we played. They played tight and we played loose and we played a– over teakettle and won the game 14-9.”
"These Ohio State fans are psychotic about this. They all need to go see a doctor. … I'd rather win the National Championship than beat Michigan."
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 26, 2025
Nick Saban doesn't understand Ohio State fans' obsession with beating Michigan 😭
(🎥 @PatMcAfeeShow) pic.twitter.com/bwZPFhtUqs
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has just one win over Michigan, and that was the first year he took over from Urban Meyer in 2019. There was even some talk after last year’s loss to the Wolverines that Day could be fired, but he emphatically silenced his critics when Ohio State steamrolled through the College Football Playoff.
Day and Ohio State players would likely rather win another title than beat Michigan, but they would prefer to do both this year. Day has changed the team’s routine up a bit in hopes of reversing the recent losing trend.
