The Game: Ohio State Heads Up North

For the 121st time in college football history, arguably the best rivalry in the game will be renewed on Saturday as top-ranked Ohio State travels to Ann Arbor to take on the 15th ranked Michigan Wolverines. While the Wolverines have won the last four meetings, the Buckeyes intend to break that streak and advance to the Big Ten championship game next weekend. It’s hard to believe that Ohio State hasn’t played for a conference title or defeated the Wolverines since 2019. This is proof that this game means everything to both programs. Bragging rights are one thing, but the possibility of Ohio State moving toward a conference title and even a national championship make this year’s matchup even more enticing.

Last year Michigan did the unthinkable as the Wolverines went into Ohio Stadium and shocked the country by upsetting the Buckeyes 13-10. What made this such an upset was the combination of the Buckeyes' roster depth and the 20-point spread entering into the game. History has shown us just because a team in this rivalry has been struggling during the season doesn’t mean they don’t have a shot at beating their rivals. In fact, Ohio State was undefeated 3 different times in the '90s entering the Michigan game, and the Wolverines spoiled their season with a simple victory. Michigan leads the all-time series at 62-56-6.

So many legends have emerged from this great game, from Desmond Howard’s Heisman pose in the end zone to Curtis Samuel’s walk-off overtime touchdown trot to knock off the Wolverines. Not to mention the coaches this rivalry has seen over the years, like Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Lloyd Carr, Jim Tressel, John Cooper, Jim Harbaugh, and who could forget the man who went undefeated in this game, Urban Meyer. Yes, this series has definitely been enriched with layers of nostalgia, but the present coaches, Sherrone Moore and Ryan Day, have tried to downplay this game all week in the media, knowing their players need to respect the past but focus on the task at hand.

Michigan has had a rocky season after losing to Oklahoma and USC, both on the road. The Wolverines' defense has finally turned on the pressure against opposing offenses in recent weeks. In fact, the Wolverines' defense is averaging 1.5 turnovers this season. Defensive mastermind Wink Martindale has his squad ranked 12th overall against the run and 17th overall in the country. One issue that had been giving the Maize and Blue struggles this season had been true freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood’s slow start. Underwood was the top-ranked quarterback heading into the 2025 class of recruits, and so far, the pressure has been a tough transition for him, but he’s adjusting to managing the game better each and every week. The freshman quarterback has currently thrown for 2,166 yards, nine touchdowns, and a completion percentage of 62.2. Underwood has done a solid job of not turning the ball over, having only thrown for five interceptions so far this season. While some wait for his accuracy to develop as he plays each game and earns more experience, it’s the run game that will be the weapon the Wolverines need to beat the Buckeyes for a 5th straight year.

In the past four meetings with the Buckeyes, the Wolverines were able to dominate in the trenches and establish the line of scrimmage quite convincingly, but this season the offensive line has struggled to play consistently and create running lanes for Justice Haynes and Travis Marshall. So the question here is, can Michigan continue to let their freshman quarterback grow and develop and be able to run the ball as they have the past four years, or will Ohio State force them to consistently throw the ball?

Ohio State currently has the number one defense in the country, which makes this matchup very interesting because in years past, under former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, consistency has been an issue for this defense. New coordinator Matt Patrica has completely blown away all the critics this season as he has his team playing elite defense across the board. The Buckeyes have especially been strong against the run, only allowing 4.8 yards per carry. The strongest part of the unit, though, has been the star-studded secondary led by Caleb Downs and Davison Igbinosun. If Michigan is forced to throw more than they want to, the Buckeyes' talented secondary could come into play. The Wolverines are already down their starting running back Justice Haynes due to an injury, but 2023 Ohio’s Mr. Football, Travis Marshall, has stepped up strong for Sherrone Moore in recent weeks.

Offensively, Ohio State finds their offense in a similar situation as Michigan’s offense as they, too, have struggled to run the ball consistently. True freshman Bo Jackson has emerged onto the scene as the team’s number one back, but Ryan Day also uses three other backs to balance health and wear on his freshman. CJ Donaldson is the red zone power threat with nine rushing touchdowns on the season. Isiah West and James Peoples also look to carry the load for the run game on Saturday.

First-year starting quarterback Julian Sayin was handed the keys to the offense from Will Howard and Ryan Day back in August, and he hasn’t disappointed his teammates either. Sayin has thrown for 2,832 yards, 27 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. The eye-popping start here, though, is the fact that a first-year starting quarterback leads the country in completion percentage at 79.4 percent, which makes him dangerous to game-plan for. Leading up to the last couple of weeks, Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate have been out due to injuries. The details of the depth of these injuries have yet to be determined, leaving everyone to wonder if the best wide receiving duo in the country will be on the field Saturday. Your guess is as good as mine.

The talking is done for the week, and now it’s time to watch the greatest rivalry in college football renew another chapter in the history books. Lower thirties and snow are currently projected for Saturday’s game forecast, which could make this game feel like an old-school smash-mouth war on the gridiron. Michigan hosts Ohio State at noon on Fox.