Many would argue that the traditions are dying as the college football world is growing. But that, at least, doesn’t yet influence the rivalry some teams have. For one, it has and will not change The Game when it comes to OSU and Michigan. So while Julian Sayin failed to help the Buckeyes with a 2025 national title run, he did do one thing for the OSU loyalists.

With a game-sealing TD strike to Brandon Inniss, he broke a four-year losing streak against the Wolverines. And while the OSU fans wanted to make him their God, nothing could make Sayin overconfident because he knew better, having learned it all from his predecessor, Will Howard.

“I think we have so much support from the fan base here; there’s how much they care. It’s awesome to see,” said Sayin during his interview with The Triple Option’s Urban Meyer when asked how he managed to keep his feet on the ground after beating Michigan last season. “I was able to see it my freshman year, you know, watch Will Howard go into the national championship.

“So it was awesome to get that learning experience and see what it was like, see the great things about it, and also see what happens when you do lose a game like that.”

As a former OSU head coach, Meyer knew very well what losing to Michigan meant. But, more importantly, he knew what winning against them brought. But while he wanted to warn Sayin of both the consequences, the sophomore QB knew better. After all, he saw the extreme celebration following OSU’s national title win in 2024 as a freshman with Howard at the helm. But he also never forgot the immense public scrutiny Howard faced after the loss to Michigan.

That marked the Wolverines’ fourth consecutive victory in ‘The Game,’ and following the 13-10 loss to Michigan, OSU fans, who worship Howard one day, turned on him.

“Ohio State fans can turn nasty if they don’t like you. They want to see their Buckeyes win,” said Howard.

The former OSU QB and his team entered the game as a 20.5-point favorite against a 6-5 Michigan squad, but Howard’s two crucial interceptions, including one functioning as a “pick-six,” ultimately handed the Buckeyes a loss.

He would be feeling bad after a defeat himself. But he first had to address the Buckeye Nation:

“It hurts like hell. I am sorry I couldn’t get this one done today.”

That didn’t stop fans’ backlash to Howard, even though he was a first-year transfer and wasn’t around for the previous three losses. This experience is an inspiration to Julian Sayin to handle adversity.

Last season, Sayin led OSU to a dominant 27-9 victory over Michigan. Although he threw an interception in the first quarter, which the Wolverines turned into field goal points, his 4th-and-5 play, delivering a perfect TD pass to Jeremiah Smith, was the biggest highlight. In the second half, Sayin’s outstanding performance handed OSU a victory, leading the Buckeyes to the B1G title game. And it helped Sayin finish the 2025 season as a Heisman finalist.

“He’s got a great arm, great release, ball gets out fast,” Meyer said of Sayin in his early evaluation. “It’s magic when it comes out of his hand. ”

But that praise didn’t change Julian Sayin’s goal to beat Michigan.

Julian Sayin’s 2026 goals

With a 7-0 record, former OSU head coach Urban Meyer knows how horrifying losing to Michigan is for OSU fans. Even the junior QB, Julian Sayin, was introduced to that bizarre thing during his freshman season. Therefore, beating Michigan in the 2026 season is Sayin’s top priority.

“That’s something we needed to get done, but there’s still more,” said Sayin. “We want to put another one of these banners up. The standard at Ohio State is to win every game. We’ve seen what the players that came before us have done, and it’s our responsibility to uphold that standard.”

In 2025, against Michigan, Sayin recorded 19 of 26 passes for 233 yards and 3 TDs. This season, with a loaded and talented WR room, the QB is confident about defeating the Wolverines. However, OSU is preparing to go on a title run, too. After 2024’s win, OSU fell short in 2025, losing to Miami. So, this season, Ryan Day and Co. will make all possible moves to build a title-winning roster.