Michigan and Ohio State will battle it out in Columbus this Saturday, November thirtieth, in the One Hundred Twentieth edition of The Game. The historic rivalry between these two teams has been considered the largest rivalry in college football by many and one of the greatest rivalries in sports. There’s a lot to look forward to ahead of this game as the two teams set to take each other on.
One of the biggest questions going into this game is whether Ohio State’s head coach, Ryan Day, will finally end this losing streak against his rivals of the north. As Michigan is currently on a three-game win streak, many have put Day in the hot seat for his poor performances against Michigan. Losing the last three against the Wolverines has many questioning can Day finally step up to the task and win just one?
The Wolverines were under a lot of fire last year, with cheating allegations and a lot of things that could discredit them they still pulled off the upset last year in the Big House. That game was a top 5 matchup and would decide who would make the playoffs that year and Michigan would do so winning the national championship. Many stated the championship was a “Mickey Mouse” championship or fake due to the lack of challenge they had with Georgia missing out in the playoffs.
Now, none of this discredits Michigan’s excellent performance against Ohio State in recent years. In their three-game win streak, they have two games where they have scored over 40 points on the Buckeyes, where the Buckeyes are widely considered to have one of the best defenses in the country. In the last three games, Michigan has outscored Ohio State 117-74. Their recent dominance in the rivalry shows what could be expected coming into this year’s game.
While the Buckeyes haven’t seen a win over the Wolverines since 2019 that could change this Saturday. This year Ohio State is a 23.5-point favorite to win according to CBS Sports, making a lot of sense. Ohio State is the second-ranked team in the country and has been a dark horse to possibly winning the national championship while having one of the top offenses in the country. Meanwhile, for the Wolverines, things can’t be said the same. The reigning champions have a six-and-five record and haven’t looked the best. With things from losing a lot of key players to Quarterback struggles, Michigan looks to prove the nation wrong with an upset this weekend.
With Ohio State beating #5 Indiana this past weekend in dominant fashion, a team Michigan struggled against losing 20-15 to the Hoosiers it could tell a story to come. Michigan’s defense isn’t to blame as its Offense has had a rough time scoring this season. This isn’t to say they both haven’t had their struggles this season as Ohio State lost to Oregon earlier in the season making people question if Ohio State is a serious contender for the National Championship.
Saturday is coming closer and both teams are preparing to take on each other this weekend and both hoping to walk out victorious. Tensions are always heating for this game and only time will tell. Will the Buckeyes finally end the losing streak to the team of the north, or will Michigan keep going on its dominant streak against the Buckeyes?
