Mike Vrabel on Michigan beating Ohio State in national championship season: 'They just pissed them off, I think'

There were very few people who rooted for the Ohio State Buckeyes harder throughout their College Football Playoff run than New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. At the same time, he knows that his alma mater still needs to find a way to beat the Michigan Wolverines.

While making an appearance on The Triple Option, Vrabel joked about last season. After all, while the loss to Michigan was tough, it’s where he thinks the Buckeyes got their motivation to win the national championship.

“They just pissed them off, I think,” Vrabel said. “At least, they used them to piss them off and end the tournament.”

Ohio State dropped its fourth straight game to Michigan at the end of the 2024 season. At the time, it put immense scrutiny on Buckeye head coach Ryan Day. Then, there was concern he was on the hot seat and could even be out of a job, despite all the success he has had there. That’s when Ohio State caught fire in the College Football Playoff and made its national championship run.

Even with the national championship, Day no doubt feels pressure to beat Michigan in 2025. It remains one of the historic rivalries in the sport and the heated competition is part of the program’s history. That’s a history that Vrabel himself does his best to appreciate, even though he’s no longer working in the program.

“I was there yesterday, there’s a lot of players. There’s a lot of talent. The thing that I’m most proud of is Doug Marrone is our offensive line coach,” Vrabel said. “Doug Marrone was with us on a visit to Pro Day and he loves history. So, you walk around there and I’m showing him Buckeye Grove and I’m showing him all of the All-Americans. I’m showing the Woody Hayes chalkboard. This guy has been around football his whole life at a high level. He’s taking pictures of all this stuff and the tradition at Ohio State. You kind of take it for granted but then when somebody else who hasn’t been there that loves the history of the game, is kind of taken aback, you’re like, ‘Yeah, I guess this is pretty special.'”

Mike Vrabel himself played for Ohio State from 1993 through 1996. During that time, he’d become an All-American and the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year. However, during that stretch, he was only 1-3 against Michigan. So, he understands the pressure that comes from the weight of The Game.

Mike Vrabel responds to belief he could return to college football

Prior to getting hired by the New England Patriots, there was some talk about the idea that Mike Vrabel could be on his way to the college game. However, that’s not something he’s interested in right now.

“Three years in college was enough for me,” Vrabel said. “And I took off for the NFL and I’m sure Urban told you. Urban didn’t want to hire me. He’ll tell you, he didn’t want to hire me, or that was just his way of motivating me, and he did a good job because I learned a lot there, but I just felt like the pro game was where I wanted to be… “Not right now. No. No. Not right now.”