Nick Saban gives advice to Ohio State as it looks to flip script in Michigan rivalry

Few in the sport know as much about winning big rivalry games as Nick Saban. So ahead of Michigan vs. Ohio State this weekend, does the head ball coach have any advice for the Buckeyes, who have lost four straight in the series?

That was a question posed to Saban on Wednesday on The Pat McAfee Show. He quickly dove into the topic.

“I’ve been asked this question 100 times,” Nick Saban said. “What would you do differently to get ready for this big game? And my answer was always: ‘I would do nothing different,’ because if there was a better way to do it we’d have already done it, because every game you play is a big game. You can’t afford to lose to anybody, not if you’re in Ohio State’s position.”

OK sure, but the reality is that Ohio State hasn’t beaten Michigan in the last four tries. The reality is that hasn’t held the Buckeyes back much. Shoot, last year the team won the national title after losing to the Wolverines.

Still, the fanbase is hungry for a win. Day needs one to keep folks happy.

To that end, Nick Saban launched into his advice for Ohio State. It’s pretty simple, really. You have to reframe the game.

“I think when you look at this game more as an opportunity for your players, to have a chance to have a great win, which will take a lot of resiliency, a lot of overcoming adversity,” Saban said. “That’s what makes it a great win. Rather than looking at it from a negative side and saying, ‘Oh, we haven’t won the last four games so we’ve got to win this game,’ so you create a lot of anxiety by changing shit for your players and doing all this crazy stuff, and then they’re looking at you saying, ‘Don’t you believe in us, coach?’ I mean we’ve been doing well all year doing this same practice, this same time to come to meetings and do all this stuff.”

In other words, Nick Saban doesn’t think shaking things up all the sudden is the best play for Day. Instead, it’s just keep on keeping on.

Execute well and the rest will take care of itself. There are too many other outside factors to be changing things.

“You already got Thanksgiving week, which is already a distraction on how you handle the players for Thanksgiving,” Nick Saban said. “I’d do it the same way.”