Given a platform from which to speak and a room full of fans as an audience, Ohio State co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Ed Warinner saw at a fundraiser event in Columbus the perfect opportunity to try out some of his finest, most acerbic stand-up material about "That School Up North."
The result was something even Steve Spurrier—the undisputed King of the Trolls—would likely have given a standing ovation.
Per Marcus Hartman of Buckeye Sports Bulletin, here are a couple highlights from Warinner's shtick about the Michigan Wolverines:
Warinner's comments were made in jest and are nothing to get riled up about. This playful tete-a-tete between Buckeyes and Wolverines has existed for seemingly centuries, and it's part of the reason their rivalry is so great. Both sides of the fence need harmless jabs like this to keep the fire burning.
Having said that, it's important to note, as did John Taylor of College Football Talk, that Ohio State hasn't made a trip to Pasadena since 2009 (just three years after UM's most recent visit), and that Michigan has played in 20 Rose Bowls to Ohio State's 14.
As for the playbook-as-coloring-book routine...it seems justified on the surface given Michigan's noted offensive deficiencies in 2013 and the firing of coordinator Al Borges this offseason. Again, though, that playbook was good enough to rack up 603 yards of offense on 82 plays against the Buckeyes in the last game of the regular season, so perhaps Warinner should think twice before casting stones.
If UM's playbook is written in crayon, OSU's is written in magic marker.
Beginning in 2014, Ohio State and Michigan's rivalry will enter uncharted water, as the schools will for the first time be pitted against one another as members of the same division—the Big Ten East. With this appended wrinkle, the smack talk all offseason and in the run-up to the game should only get better with time.
And that is a good thing for everybody.
Follow Brian Leigh on Twitter: @BLeighDAT
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