There is nothing like it in sports. Ohio State Vs Michigan is an event. Nay, it is a clash of culture and society made physical. Cities, states, universities, families, maps all pitted against one another in an annual struggle for dominance. It has all the drama sports fan can handle and all the drama a soap opera fan can handle too. It is not only a game, it is “The Game”.
The roots of the game can be found in the Toledo War where conflicting state and federal legislation between 1787 and 1805 caused both Ohio and Michigan to dispute the strip of land surrounding Toledo and the area west of it.
The result of the dispute was Andrew Jackson pressuring Michigan to accept parts of the upper peninsula as a compromise for surrendering Toledo to Ohio. In 1897 the teams met for the first time and Michigan won 34-0. The rivalry really heated up in the 70’s when legendary coaches Bo Schembechler faced Woody Hayes.
Schembechler was on Woody Hayes team as a player and then as staff prior to becoming the head coach of the Wolverines. A “ten-year war” was started as bad blood between the two fueled the most hated rivalry in sports. In Schembechler’s first year as head coach he upset the top-ranked buckeyes. What ensued was 10 epic games that resulted in a back and forth clash with both teams winning. After Woody Hayes left Ohio State the head-to-head record between the two was Michigan 5 Ohio State 4 with one tie.
Fast forwarding to this weekend as #10 Ohio State hosts #4 Michigan with the winner facing the Big Ten West Champion Northwestern. What could also be on the line is a spot in the college football playoff as Michigan currently occupies the last of the four spots. Ohio State would still technically have a chance to make it into the top four but they would need lots of help after having an underwhelming 10-1 record. Beating Michigan would help their case but it seems a foregone conclusion after losing to Iowa that OSU will be on the outside looking in barring a miracle.
The all-time record between the two schools after 114 meetings favors Michigan at 58–49–6. Ohio State fans may hate that record, but to put things into context, the last time Michigan won a national championship Bill Clinton was president and they had to share it with Nebraska. The last time they won without having to share it the Cleveland Indians Won the World Series. As a final note, Ohio State has won the last six meetings and has won 15 of the last 17 meetings.
In case you are looking for the definition of rivalry look no where else. Oh, and to all those Michigan State and Penn State supporters who think they are also rivals with Michigan and Ohio State respectively, you are A rival but you are not THE rival. That belongs to the hateful respect shared by the Maize and Blue and Scarlet and Grey whose bad blood has been reinforced year after year.