Heart of the Rivalry is a Blade-produced YouTube series and podcast available on all major platforms that covers the heart of college football through the sport’s own treasured programs of Ohio State, Michigan, Toledo, and Bowling Green.

The weekly show is led by The Blade’s sports columnist, David Briggs, with co-host/producer Phil Kaplan.

In this episode, it’s the last episode of the 2025 calendar year for our hosts, and it has turned out to be a doozy.

Dave gives us the full detail of Michigan’s firing of Sherrone Moore and the disgraceful fallout that has taken all of the college football headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Phil was first to meet Toledo’s newest hiring, coach Mike Jacobs, who arrived at Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport last week. The Maumee native has climbed from the most unheralded of college football corners, and this appears to be a feel-good story for all the right reasons.

Cameos include Wolverine athletic director Warde Manuel, Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka, Big Ten wideouts Jeremiah Smith and Makai Lemon on the weight of Fred Belitnikoff, Biff Poggi, Jim Harbaugh, People’s Court reporter Doug Llewelyn, and all the salacious scandal you can handle.

All that and more from Heart of the Rivalry, the only show to cover exclusively the rivalry programs of Bowling Green and Toledo, as well as Michigan and Ohio State.