Just in case you didn’t know, today is another chapter in the Michigan vs Ohio State football tradition. In fact, it is Chapter 115 between these two intense rivals. The Michigan vs Ohio State game is so famous that it is now just referred to as The Game. Yes, The Game is the showcase for the greatest rivalry is all of sports – period!
(Note-The 1990 Michigan Football team shown above was the last Wolverine team to defeat Ohio State in Columbus on November 24th. Photo Courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library at The University of Michigan.)
The good news is that the Wolverines still own the overall advantage in the Michigan vs Ohio State football series. The bad news is that they have lost the last six games. To make matters worse, the Wolverines are in another Big Ten title “drought” that is sitting at fourteen years. It happened once before and Bump Elliott’s team ended that drought in 1964. Jim Harbaugh’s team is on track to end Drought II, but I am getting ahead of myself.
Time to get focused on the 2018 version of The Game. Of course, we need to look at the history of Michigan Football on November 24th before we take a closer look at The Game.
So far, the Wolverines have played seventeen games on the twenty-fourth day of November. Nine of those games have been against the Buckeyes. Michigan’s record on November 24th is 10 wins and 5 losses which works out to a winning percentage of almost sixty-five percent (.647). However, they have not done as well in conference play. Check out the numbers below:
Type Game | # of Games | Won | Lost | Tied | Win % |
Non-Conference | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .875 |
Conference | 13 | 7 | 5 | 1 | .577 |
All Games | 17 | 10 | 5 | 2 | .647 |
The Wolverines have played nine home games on this date and seven road games. One game, in 1894, was played at a neutral site. Michigan’s home record is pretty good at 5-2-2. The Maize and Blue footballers also have a winning road record on this day of 4 wins and 3 losses.
The numbers on this page absolutely make November 24th a good day for Michigan football, but not a great one! History is on the side of the Maize and Blue today, but not by much! Here is a little more history about Michigan Football on November 24th:
In 1990, J. D. Carlson kicked the Wolverines to their last victory over OSU on November 24th. Photo courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library at The University of Michigan.
Today’s game is the one-hundred-fifteenth game in the series between Michigan and Ohio State. Today’s contest is the tenth game between these bitter rivals on November 24th. Let’s take a closer look at some of the historic games in this series.
The Game’s history still favors Michigan, but not the recent history. Michigan has lost six straight games to the team down south and thirteen of the last fourteen. The good news is that Michigan still holds the overall advantage in the series – 58 wins, 50 losses and 6 ties. Check out the series numbers below:
Type Game | # of Games | Won | Lost | Tied | Win % |
UM Home | 58 | 31 | 23 | 4 | .568 |
UM Away | 56 | 27 | 27 | 2 | .500 |
M Series Total | 114 | 58 | 50 | 6 | .545 |
Yes, history is still on Michigan’s side in this series. They have also played very well in Columbus where they are even against the Buckeyes.
In addition to fifty-eight wins over the Buckeyes, Michigan players have had some memorable performances against Ohio State in Columbus. Here are some of the best Wolverine performances against the Buckeyes in enemy territory!
In 2000, Drew Henson led Michigan to their last victory in Columbus. Photo courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library at The University of Michigan.
Yes, many Wolverines have stepped up BIG in The Game when it was played in Columbus. I am completely confident that many more Michigan Men will do great things today for the Maize and Blue Football program.
Today will be another great game in the Michigan vs Ohio State football series. Fourth-ranked Michigan is 10-1 and looking to win the BIG East Division title. They are also in the hunt for the college football playoff. Michigan is looking to get to their first BIG Championship Game. Michigan is a four-point favorite in The Horseshow which hasn’t happened in a very long time. The tenth-ranked Buckeyes (10-1) are also fighting for the division title. This game is one of the biggest games that the Michigan vs Ohio State football series has seen in many years.
There are a ton of numbers that apply to this game, but you can throw most of them out because of the intensity of this rivalry. However, I did look at what both teams did so far in Big Ten play. Michigan and Ohio State have both scored 292-points in 8 conference games so far. That averages out to 36.5 points per game.
Michigan has allowed 102-points in eight games, but the Buckeye defense has given up 206. That averages out to 12.75 points per game against the Wolverine defense and 25.75 for the Buckeye defenders.
The old football adage tells us that “defense wins championships.” With that said, Michigan’s defense gives them a thirteen-point advantage in the most important stat for this showdown.
There is no doubt about it – today’s game is the biggest game in Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan coaching career so far. Today will be the measuring stick for how far Coach Harbaugh has brought his Wolverines in four seasons.
On paper, I believe that Michigan is truly the better team. Their defense will hold down the high-scoring Buckeye offense and Dwayne Haskins will not have his best day. Shea Patterson, and the Michigan offense, will score a lot of points. Bottom line – the last stop on the “Revenge Tour” will be a fun day for our Wolverines!
I think Michigan’s stars will outshine Ohio State’s best today. It will be a great college football game. However, the Wolverines will be better on offense, defense and special teams. Go Blue, Beat OSU!
I think this game will be a lot like the 2000 game. The defenses will be challenged, but OSU’s defenders will not stand as strong as Michigans. The Wolverines open up the play book and run up a very nice point total. Final score: Michigan 38 and OSU 25.