Michigan Wolverines

Urban Meyer explains why OSU-Michigan is unlike any other rivalry to him

Published Aug. 14, 2015 12:15 p.m. ET

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Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer knows rivalries. He masters rivalries, too.

Not only is he 3-0 against Michigan since becoming the leader of the Buckeyes, he also dominated BYU when he was at Utah, trounced Toledo when he was at Bowling Green and generally got the better of Florida State, Miami, Tennessee and Georgia when he was at Florida.

This one he's part of now is different, though, as he explained to ESPN The Magazine.

"It's personal," Meyer told the magazine. "When I look across and see the winged helmets and their coaches and their players ...

"I've been in rivalries. Utah-BYU. Bowling Green-Toledo. Florida, we had three: Florida State, Tennessee and Georgia. You make them personal, but they're not. I didn't grow up disliking Georgia.

That's because he grew up in Ohio rooting for Ohio State.

"When I was 6, I was thinking about this rivalry," Meyer continued. "This one's seared on your soul. It's ingrained through every part of your body."

Is it the same for new Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh? Well, Harbaugh himself was not quite so adamant in the same ESPN piece, but Meyer did not sound like he had many doubts.

Harbaugh not only spent part of his youth in Ann Arbor, he also played in the rivalry as a Michigan quarterback who beat the Buckeyes after famously guaranteeing victory in 1986.

"I'm sure when you cut him open, this rivalry's all over the place," Meyer said. "There's no rivalry between the two of us, but he grew up in the era too. This guy gets it. He was a part of it. This is very personal on both sides."

(H/T ESPN The Magazine)