The build-up, the quirks of each fan base, and yes, the game. Ahem, “The Game.”
The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, 102 meetings into the historic matchup, is one of the most anticipated and entertaining games on the college football calendar every year. The battle at the Big House or the Horseshoe each November can act as time-warp of reflections into football history—Western Conferences, helmets made of leather, Woody, Bo, and Earl Bruce’s hat—while also giving young Wolverine and Buckeye fans the building-block reasoning to dislike the other.
The all-time series currently sits at 58-50-6, in favor of the Wolverines. And while the 1990’s matchups induced more headaches than not for the Scarlet and Gray fan base—those nights waking in a cold sweat and screaming “Tim Biakabutuka!”—the turn of the millennium has been less brutal and more Brutus.
On the doorstep of the final meeting in the 2010s, as the rivalry opens a new chapter, the dominance has stayed in the Buckeyes’ favor. How will it end?
While we await that answer, let’s take a look back at how the last nine meetings have stacked up.
9. November 27, 2010
Ironically, there were a few things that made the 2010 game in Columbus seem like it was upside-down. The Buckeyes came out in 1942 throwback uniforms—the second straight year going Nike-nutty—while also featuring brand-new gloves. Why does this matter? Well, the uniforms kept fans preoccupied with Google searches while the gloves got some shine during a few celebration penalties thought to be nods to Jay-Z and LeBron—which caused more Google searches.
Those were the most memorable elements from that day.
Overall, the game was a snooze-fest. The Buckeyes, with a balanced offense led by Terrell Pryor and Dan Herron, had it wrapped up by halftime. They added another 13 points in the third quarter just for good measure and ended the game—and really, Rich Rodriguez’s tenure at UM—with a score of 37-7.
And the win was eventually vacated…
8. November 29, 2014
Three years later, the script had flipped entirely for the Buckeyes as they dotted the ‘i’ in win that day, too. The 7th-ranked squad welcomed a stagnant Michigan team—struggling with a 5-6 record—to Columbus, in what would be Brady Hoke’s last hurrah (boo, really) against Buckeyes.
J.T. Barrett stepped up and continued to shine, throwing for 176 yards while rushing for 89. His three-touchdown day was cut short though with a broken ankle that left the packed Horseshoe painfully silent. But Ezekiel Elliot finished the job, ending the day with 121 yards and two touchdowns, while a guy named Cardale Jones took over at QB.
Final score: 42-28.
7. November, 26, 2011
2011 was a big year for the Wolverines and new coach, Brady Hoke. The post-Rich Rodriguez experiment was canned in favor of the defensive-minded Hoke, and things were looking good. The squad, led by a dynamic Denard Robinson, won the first-ever night game at the Big House over Notre Dame and kept up the momentum all season. The Buckeyes, on the other hand, were struggling. Interim coach Luke Fickell was doing his best, but the winds of “goods exchanged with tattoo shop owners,” and the resignation of Jim Tressel still whistled through the Olentangy in a down key.
Michigan handed the Buckeyes their first loss in the rivalry since 2003—a 40-34 win for the 17th-ranked Wolverines. Although it was a loss for the Buckeyes, considering the turmoil and unranked-ness, it was actually a decent game.
6. November 25, 2017
The 2017 game in Ann Harbor started off with the makings of a classic upset for the Wolverines, as Coach Harbaugh’s unranked bunch got out to an early 14-0 lead—before some fans even figured out the game was being broadcast on FOX!
By the time the Scarlet and Gray were all caught up on television rights, the Buckeyes had tied the game, 14-14, and they never hit the breaks the rest of the afternoon. With introductory dashes of QB Dwyane Haskins here and there because of a leg injury to J.T. Barrett, the Buckeye’s offense went heavy on J.K. Dobbins and got out of the packed Big House (112,000) with the win, 31-20.
Coach Urban Meyer after the game: “O!”
5. November 28, 2015
Noon that Saturday back in 2015 had a cosmos-vibrating buzz that probably registered as a small earthquake over in Ypsilanti. It was Coach Jim Harbaugh’s first go as the Savior of Michigan Football. The crowd at the Big House was massive, over 110,000. Ohio State was the defending national champions, but coming off their first loss of the year. The Wolverines were 9-2, ranked 12th, and trending in the right direction. Khaki pants purchases were most likely on the rise in Ann Arbor. This. Was. The. Day! Hello, 2011!
And then, Ezekiel Elliott was handed the ball. Again and Again. And then, J.T. Barrett took a turn running the ball. When the game ended, the duo racked up 353 yards on the ground with five touchdowns, leading the way to a 42-13 bludgeoning.
4. November 24, 2018
It was a top 10 battle at the Horseshoe in 2018, with parking on High Street probably darn near impossible. The Wolverines were ranked fourth, and the Buckeyes were 10th. Both teams were coming off extremely close tests against lesser opponents—Michigan having trouble with Indiana and Ohio State winning by one—one!—point over Maryland.
And this game started off close, with the Buckeyes leading at halftime, 24-19. No question, the second half would be a battle of coaching wits, a chess match so clo—oh my, what in the world just happened?!
When the Haskins-led air attack and the Weber-Dobbins ground assault finally ceased, the score was 62-39. The unexpected thrashing would give the Buckeyes a record-tying seventh consecutive victory—Urban’s last as head coach.
3. November 24, 2012
Year 2 for Wolverine’s head coach Brady Hoke almost came with a “Spoiler Alert” against the undefeated Buckeyes. A saturation of penalties and turnovers aside, Denard Robinson and the Wolverines headed into the locker room at halftime up 21-20 over the Buckeyes and newly appointed head coach, Urban Meyer.
It was an old fashioned slugfest in the second half that, with the assistance of Hyde’s 146-yard day and a stout defensive effort, was eventually left on the foot of Drew Basil. And not only did the junior kicker nail a 50-yarder right before halftime, but he was perfect on two pressure-filled kicks afterward—the only points in the third and fourth quarter. Final score: Michigan – 21, OSU – 26. Victory No. 1 for Coach Urban Meyer. Loss No. 1 for Coach Brady Hoke.
2. November 26, 2016
The mere mention of the 2016 game at the ‘Shoe makes Buckeye fans giddy with nostalgia: The day Curtis Samuel became…Curtis. Samuel!
Both sides entered the game 10-1, with the Wolverines ranked third, and the Buckeyes ranked second. Not since Beanie Wells/Antonio Pittman and Chad Henne, a la 1996, had both teams been ranked so high coming into the game (excuse me, again: The Game).
And the 2016 matchup lived up o the hype—and then some—going into double-overtime. The Wolverines struggled with mistakes, a few costly turnovers and sloppy penalties that brick-walled the momentum. In the end, it was J.T. Barrett’s legs that kept the Buckeyes out in front, and then, Samuel’s memory-maker that got Urban’s squad the hard-earned victory.
Sure, more than a few fans—from either team—would argue that this game has been the best so far in the 2010s. But…
1. November 30, 2013
The 2013 matchup in Ann Arbor reigns supreme as the best game this decade (so far). The Buckeyes were undefeated. The Wolverines were trending downward, with a 7-4 record and coming off a painful loss to Iowa the previous week. Admittedly, most assumed this would be a lesson in humility at the hands of Professors Miller and Myer.
At least, that was the general assumption.
But Devin Gardner torched the Buckeyes’ secondary, throwing for 451 yards and four touchdowns. Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller steamrolled the Wolverines’ run defense, gaining 379 yards and four touchdowns total. For 60 grueling, uncomfortable, unforgettable, seat-fidgeting minutes, it was back and forth—a momentum shift here, a momentum shift there. Some 1,100-plus total yards of offense later, the game ended 42-41, and perfectly highlighted the general ethos of the Buckeye-Wolverine rivalry: The records mean absolutely nothing.
What will this year’s game hold, and where will it rank when we reflect back on this decade of Ohio State dominance? We’ll find out Saturday in The Game.
