Jeremiah Smith fires shot at Michigan: 'With everything in me, I hate them'

There are very few rivalries as intense as the one between Ohio State and Michigan. That’s particularly true for the players, like star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who play in them, even coming off a national championship season.

Smith recently appeared on The Triple Option. There, former Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer asked him what he thinks of That Team Up North, and it was a relatively simple answer.

“Hate,” Jeremiah Smith said. “You know. With everything in me, I hate them.”

In his freshman season at Ohio State, Smith broke out and became one of the best receivers in the country. However, that wasn’t enough to beat Michigan, and the Buckeyes lost their fourth straight game to the Wolverines. In the effort, Smith caught five passes for 35 yards and a touchdown. That was the only Ohio State touchdown in the game.

This isn’t the first time Jeremiah Smith has made his stance on Michigan clear, either. Earlier this summer, he made it clear that he has no intention of losing to Michigan again during his college career, however long that may end up being.

“I’m not a sore loser, but I hate losing, and losing to that team up north was pretty crazy,” Smith said. “In the end, I think it really helped us play the way we did in the playoffs. But I didn’t want to go to Ohio State and lose to That Team Up North. I just hate them. Just something about them. For the next two years, I promise you, I will not lose to them. I can’t lose to them in the next two years.”

Ohio State won’t have a chance to snap their losing streak to Michigan until November 29th, the last game of the regular season. This year, The Game is going to be held in Ann Arbor. First, however, Smith and the Buckeyes need to focus on the rest of the regular season.

ESPN’s Heather Dinich predicts Jeremiah Smith will win Heisman Trophy

Jeremiah Smith isn’t just considered one of the best wide receivers in college football, but one of the best players overall. He’s so good that going into his sophomore season, ESPN’s Heather Dinich even picked him to win the Heisman Trophy.

“I’m picking Jeremiah Smith to win the award,” Dinich said. “He’s only 19-years-old. 17.3 yards per catch, 15 touchdowns. When you look at his numbers in the College Football Playoff, 45 yards for one catch, 43 yards for another. I mean, he’s a big time playmaker. The award goes to the best player, not the best quarterback.”