Neal C. Lauron
The rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan is the greatest in American sports with a rich history of legends, traditions, and pageantry.
Few matchups in American sports carry the weight, intensity, and cultural significance of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry. Known as The Game, the annual showdown between the Buckeyes and Wolverines has grown from a regional contest into one of the most storied rivalries in college football history.
For more than a century, the clash has shaped conference championships, national title races, and the legacies of players and coaches on both sides. The rivalry is built on tradition, pride, and animosity that is discussed throughout the landscape of all sports.
Urban Meyer Ohio State Head coach 2012-2018 – “It’s the greatest Rivalry in Sports”
Bo Schembechler Michigan Head Coach 1969-1989 – “If you want to be remembered, you beat Ohio State.”
The Border War
The rivalry’s origins trace back to 1897, when Ohio State and Michigan first met on the gridiron. At the time, football in the Midwest was still developing, and Michigan, under legendary coaches like Fielding Yost, quickly established itself as a powerhouse. Ohio State, still emerging as a program, struggled in the early years of the rivalry. Michigan dominated the early era, winning 13 of the first 15 meetings and establishing a competitive imbalance that fueled Ohio State’s determination to rise.
Though the games were intense, the rivalry hadn’t yet become the national spectacle it is today. What elevated it to another level was not just football, but geography and culture. Ohio and Michigan had a historic tension stemming from the 1835 Toledo War, a border dispute that, while largely symbolic in modern times, embedded a competitive spirit in the relationship between the two states. When football became a cultural force, that lingering competitive edge found the perfect battleground.
The Hayes-Schembechler Era: The Ten-Year War
The rivalry transformed forever when Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler took center stage. Hayes, who became Ohio State’s head coach in 1951, was fiery, emotional, and intensely loyal to Scarlet and Gray. When his former assistant, Bo Schembechler, took over at Michigan in 1969, it ignited one of the most iconic coaching duels in sports history.
Their first meeting set the tone for an era. Ohio State entered the 1969 game undefeated and hit a 22-game winning streak. Many considered the Buckeyes one of the greatest teams ever assembled. But Schembechler’s Wolverines stunned the nation with a 24–12 upset, launching what became known as the Ten-Year War, a decade of fierce, physical, and often season-defining battles. From 1969 to 1978, the teams combined for 17 Big Ten titles, and their annual meeting frequently determined the conference champion and Rose Bowl representative.
The Ten-Year War taught the nation that The Game wasn’t just another matchup—it was college football’s heavyweight fight, played with unmatched intensity.
Power Shifts and Modern Dominance
After the Hayes–Schembechler era, the rivalry continued to evolve. Michigan maintained the upper hand through the 1980s and ’90s, especially under coaches like Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr. The 1990s were painful for Ohio State fans. Despite producing elite teams and Heisman winners like Eddie George, the Buckeyes repeatedly fell short in The Game. Michigan relished its spoiler role.
In 1995, during George’s Heisman campaign, running back Tim Biakabutuka rushed for 313 yards on 37 touches in the Wolverines’ upset victory against the Buckeyes. In 1997, Charles Woodson capped off his Heisman campaign with a victory over Ohio State, which later beat Ryan Leaf and Washington State in the Rose Bowl to win a share of the National Championship that season.
In 1998, despite losing their National Championship hopes with a loss over Nick Saban’s Michigan State Spartans a couple of weeks before the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated a Tom Brady-led Michigan team in Columbus 31-16, giving John Cooper his second victory over the Wolverines.
Everything changed in 2001 when Jim Tressel took over in Columbus. At his introductory basketball game speech, Tressel famously told the crowd that they would be “proud of our team in 310 days… in Ann Arbor, Michigan.” He delivered in a 26-20 victory. In that game, senior running back Jonathan Wells rushed for 129 yards and 3 touchdowns. Under Tressel, Ohio State went 9-1 against Michigan, reigniting Buckeye dominance and restoring pride to a fanbase hungry for revenge.
In the 2006 version of “The Game,” they called it “The Game of the Century. #2 Michigan vs #1 Ohio State. This game had college football superstars all over the field. Wearing Maize and Blue, you had Chad Henne, Mario Manningham, Mike Hart, Jake Long, Leon Hall, Shawn Crable, and Brandon Graham. Wearing the Scarlet and Gray, you had 2006 Heisman winner Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., Anthony Gonzalez, Chris “Beanie’’ Wells, James Laurinaitis, Marcus Freeman, and Malcom Jenkins.
The Buckeyes prevailed 42-39. That victory allowed the Buckeyes to win the Big Ten Championship and a trip to Glendale, Arizona, for the BCS National Championship game.
In 2012, Urban Meyer became the head coach and elevated the Buckeye dominance to unprecedented levels, going 7–0 against the Wolverines from 2012 to 2018. His dynamic offenses overwhelmed Michigan, and the “Big Brother vs. Little Brother” narrative intensified. The Buckeyes routinely fielded national championship contenders, while Michigan struggled to keep pace with coaches like Rich Rodriguez, Brady Hoke, and Jim Harbaugh taking over in 2015.
But the rivalry shifted again when Jim Harbaugh finally broke through in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, beating the Buckeyes in four consecutive seasons and claiming Big Ten titles in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and College Football Playoff berths, with the Wolverines winning the National Title in 2023. Those games reignited the rivalry with a modern ferocity, controversy, and physicality, and brought The Game back to the center of national attention.
The Game That Defines Seasons
What separates Ohio State–Michigan from other rivalries is its impact. The Game often determines:
- Big Ten Championships
Michigan – 45 Big Ten championships, Ohio State – 39 Big Ten Championships
- College Football Playoff berths
In 2016, Ohio State’s double-overtime victory over Michigan secured a spot in the College Football Playoff despite not winning the Big Ten.
- Heisman Campaigns
In 1997, Charles Woodson played and led the Wolverines to victory over the Buckeyes, becoming the first defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy, beating out Tennessee’s Peyton Manning.
- Coach Legacies
It’s a rivalry that careers are judged by. John Cooper, despite winning 111 games at Ohio State, is remembered most for his 2-10-1 record against Michigan. On the other side, Schembechler’s 5-4-1 record against Hayes is central to his legacy.
Lloyd Carr succeeded Gary Moeller as Michigan’s head coach in 1995 with an upset victory over Ohio State. Carr started strong by winning four of his first five matchups. However, he managed only two more victories before retiring in 2007, finishing with a 6-7 record against the Buckeyes.
The pressure is so enormous that the current head coach for the Buckeyes, Ryan Day, is sitting at 1-4 in the Rivalry. Despite his National Championship in 2024, Day’s legacy is being looked at by his current record against Michigan.
The stakes are unmatched. Every play is magnified. Fans live for it, players train all year for it, and coaches’ reputations hinge on it.
More Than Football
The rivalry transcends sport. It’s cultural. It’s generational. Families divide along state lines. Countless players say The Game is faster, harder, and more emotional than any other matchup they’ve experienced.
The traditions from crossing out the letter “M” in Columbus to the gold pants awarded to Ohio State players after each win add layers of meaning. The passion is unmatched. Ask any Buckeye or Wolverine fan what matters most each year, and the answer is simple: beat the rival.
Jamie Sumner, OL from 1994/1995, told me in an interview I had with him back in 2020 during an episode of “The Bunch of Nuts Podcast.”
“I didn’t go to Ohio State to play games against Michigan State or Northwestern or Purdue. I wanted to play in ‘The Game.’ To beat them in 1994 was probably the biggest athletic moment in my life.”
The Legacy of The Game
After more than 120 years, the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry remains the heartbeat of college football. It’s a contest defined by respect, hatred, and unforgettable moments. Every chapter adds to the mythology of The Game, and in the last game in November, the nation watches as two titans collide.
Because of this rivalry, records don’t matter. Rankings don’t matter. Only one thing matters: Win The Game.
