By far the greatest rivalry in sports history. As much as I hate Ohio State when we play them I also love Ohio State for taking the rivalry so seriously.
This rivalry stemmed from a land dispute in the early 1800s. Michigan and Ohio were fighting over the Toledo strip which was a very important waterway before the days of trains and automobiles. Michigan ultimately gave it up to Ohio and received the upper peninsula in return. But what makes the rivalry so great is both teams have historically been the best teams in the big ten and until just recently it has been a must win game for both teams to have a shot at the national championship. Ohio State has been consistently good for a very long time and Michigan has had more ups and downs over the years but one things for sure and that's that it's good for college football when both teams are at their best. Ohio has some of the best high school football in the country and Michigan has been known to steal some very good high school players from Ohio States backyard and they all take the rivalry very personal. Some were recruited by Ohio State but chose Michigan instead and some were not even recruited by Ohio State and those guys take the rivalry extra personal. Things have changed dramatically in recent years and the rivalry has lost a bit of its magic with the advent of the College Football Playoff and especially it now going from 4 teams to 12 teams. This means one of the teams could theoretically lose the game and still have a shot a national championship and possibly have a rematch in the playoff. Say Michigan ends up going 9 and 3 and drops a nail biter in Columbus losing by 1 score and Ohio State ends the season 10 and 2. Then both teams should theoretically still make the 12 team playoff considering there's only a few undefeated or 1 loss teams with a reasonably difficult schedule. Even if Michigan were to get blown out by Ohio State they still could make the playoff as a 2 or 3 loss team because there's many factors that go into deciding the playoff teams. This includes overall record, strength of schedule, margin of victory, etc. I expect both teams will make the playoff in the same year many times for years to come and the game still means something but it doesn't have the same meaning that it used. Whoever wins the game will still play a big role on who is crowned as big ten east champs and will play a role on the rankings going into the playoff but it won't be the end all be all that it once was
OSU QB Rex Kern had a debilitating back injury in the '69 game against Michigan. That was a big factor in the loss. I think coach Hayes made a mistake by starting Kern that day. Another mistake was trying these risky, ill-advised passes. Same thing happened in the 1976 Rose Bowl with a QB (Cornelius Green) who wasn't much of a thrower. They got behind in both games and then started forcing passes into coverage, resulting in multiple interceptions. Woody at his coaching worst. He should've relaxed and focused on plays that were do-able. Kern probably should've been on the bench, given that injury. But Woody would always try to force things. He had no subtlety.
It tells you a lot that OSU fans won't say the word, Michigan. But folks from Michigan can say Ohio State! They are still fighting the Toledo war in Ohio. MI loses to OSU in 2024. It hurts, until they get back to Ann Arbor. OSU loses in 2024. It will be a major disaster in Columbus. The Wolverines have other games to worry about, before they get to OSU.
All I Know is Ohio is said to be tough,that is very much in question with all these Excuses, excuses regarding the Beat down the Michigan Wolverines Football team gave them at home.!!!!
The only true player I ever seen that played for Ohio State is Archie Griffin ever since then these players has been soft and in love with Michigan what a shame
