For the 121st time, Ohio State and Michigan will renew college football’s fiercest rivalry this Saturday when the top-ranked Buckeyes travel to Ann Arbor to take on the No. 15 Wolverines. The stakes feel higher than ever, with revenge, playoff positioning, and bragging rights all hanging in the balance.
The recent history has belonged entirely to the maize and blue. Michigan has claimed victory in each of the past four meetings, leaving current Ohio State head coach Ryan Day with a frustrating 1-4 record against the Wolverines. His only triumph came in 2019, his first year at the helm.
Adding fuel to an already blazing fire, former Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer weighed in this week on “The Triple Option” podcast, declaring that a Michigan upset would all but guarantee the Wolverines a spot in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.
“They win, they’ll be the best win of the year of anybody,” Meyer said. “They win this one they won’t make the Big Ten Championship, or will they? But I agree with Mark [Ingram], if the Wolverines win, they’re in.”
First-year head coach Sherrone Moore has his program trending upward at precisely the right moment. Michigan has ripped off five straight victories, capped by a convincing 45-20 rout of Maryland last weekend. Sitting at No. 15 in the latest CFP rankings, the Wolverines are knocking on the door of postseason inclusion—a door that would swing wide open with a victory over the nation’s lone remaining undefeated team.
Ohio State, the reigning national champion, has been flawless since last year’s stinging home loss to Michigan. At 11-0 and entrenched at No. 1, the Buckeyes are determined to flip the script.Ryan Day made his mindset crystal clear earlier this week.
“Fun is kicking [expletive], and that’s what we want to do on Saturday,” Day said. “We’re preparing to do that. There’s nothing funny about this at all. The fun part is winning.”
Kickoff is set for noon ET inside Michigan Stadium, where 110,000-plus fans will turn “The Big House” into a cauldron of noise and animosity. One team will leave with a signature résumé victory; the other will be left searching for answers in what has become the defining rivalry of the Big Ten era.
Buckle up—The Game is back, and it might matter more than ever.
