COLUMBUS, Ohio — If Jim Harbaugh and Ryan Day could put aside their differences for just a few moments, they may realize they have more in common than originally thought.

Because for the second straight day, a head coach in the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry on Tuesday downright refused to say he had respect for the other.

One day after Michigan's Harbaugh skirted a question about whether he respected Ohio State’s Day, his coaching rival returned the favor when asked a nearly identical question.

“I think with everything going on and the things that are out there, we’ve just kind of stayed away from all the distractions we have and just kind of focused on our team,” Day responded.

“I think our guys have done a good job of it. … I’ve talked to them a couple times about what’s gone on this season, going into the game, but they’re focused on this game. They’re focused on this season.”

No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan will meet for the 119th time on Saturday in Ann Arbor (12 p.m.) with a trip to the Big Ten championship, the College Football Playoff, and the pride of their programs on the line.

“It’s all about preparation for Ohio,” Harbaugh began when asked Monday whether he respected Day .

Bad blood has basically defined the relationship of these two coaches, dating to before they even coached a game against one another. Harbaugh was 0-5 against Ohio State and head coach Urban Meyer to begin his tenure. His first meeting with Day in 2020 was canceled for COVID-related reasons, which led to a leaked comment from Day about how the Buckeyes would have scored 100 points if the game was played.

When they actually got together in 2021, it was Michigan and Harbaugh who took the upset victory, 42-27. Then came a comment from Harbaugh that more or less minimized Day’s impact on the Ohio State program — “Sometimes people that are standing on third base think they hit a triple, but they didn't,” he said — then a second straight win down in Columbus , and now, a sign-stealing scandal that has one side of the aisle screaming that the past two years are all malarkey.

Day and the Ohio State program have even been accused of being one of the leading Big Ten voices behind the push to investigate Michigan.

All of this, of course, has only made this year’s matchup all that more contentious. But asked whether the extra heat has energized Day or saddened him, he gave another non-answer.

“I was taught that the way you respect a rivalry is to work it every day. Whether it’s in the weight room, whether it’s game-planning, talking to your players during periods in practice during the spring, periods of the practice in the preseason, and that’s it,” Day said.

“We do respect the rivalry and I’m certainly excited to play here on Saturday.”

Ohio State players did their best to avoid giving away bulletin-board material, but there was at least one person who you could tell was biting his tongue. Junior Ohio State corner Denzel Burke, who’s never beaten Michigan, gave a smile and a long pause before answering a question about where the respect level is between players on the teams.

“It’s respect for them,” Burke said. “We didn’t get it done the past two years and our job is to go out there and get it done.”

Maybe the adults could take a page or two from the student-athletes' playbook. But let's be honest: This rivalry might be better when they don't.