Michigan vs Ohio State Rivalry

Michigan vs. Ohio State Rivalry

The Michigan vs.Ohio Rivalry needs nothing special to be considered the greatest rivalry of all time.  The statistics speak for themselves. 

·         Total Wins: Michigan- 860, most of all time; Ohio State- 785, fifth of all time

·         National Titles: Michigan-11; Ohio State- 7

·         Big Ten titles: Michigan-42; Ohio State- 30

·         Heisman trophies- Michigan- 3, with Charles Woodson in 1997 being the only defensive player to win; Ohio State- 6, with Archie Griffin the only player to win twice

Greatness certainly applies to this historic match up.  The game itself is thought by some to be the modern version of the “Toledo War,” a brief, but bloodless dispute between the state of Ohio and the Michigan territory around 1835-36.  However, the football version of the war did not start until a little over sixty years later in 1897.

The Michigan vs. Ohio game has often had conference title implications if not national title implications as well.  This was especially true during the “Ten Year War.” Coaching greats Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler coached some of the best games in college football during those years.  From ’70 to ’75 both teams went into this match up ranked in the top 5; Michigan even came in undefeated in 4 of those games.  Sadly, they only won one in ’71, so even though they ended up owning all or part of the conference title they went to the Rose Bowl just once. 

Most memorable had to be the ’73 season, when the two teams tied in their contest and were otherwise undefeated.  The remaining athletic directors in the conference took a vote to see who would be the conference rep in the Rose Bowl- Ohio got to take the trip much to the chagrin of the Wolverine loyal.  Not one to go quietly into the night, Michigan fired back from ’76-’78, winning all three match ups and holding the Buckeyes scoreless.  Hayes was never able to avenge that humiliation since he got fired in ’78 subsequently ending the War.

Love for the Michigan vs. Ohio contest runs so deep in the respective states that when SBC Communications tried to alter the name in 2004 an outrage ensued.  SBC was going to give the schools $1.06 million to split and all it got to was some advertising in the stadium in Ohio (Michigan did not allow any advertising) and change the name to the “SBC Michigan-Ohio State Classic.”  The fans were vocal enough in their outrage and the deal was turned away.

In case the intensity of this rivalry is in doubt- all you have to do is ask Jon Stewart about.  One of The Daily Show’s correspondents tried reporting from Oho State while wearing a Michigan sweatshirt; not smart.  Due to the reaction from the fans Jon Stewart later described the rivalry in the same context as the Sunni/ Shiite Muslims conflict.  Comparable to centuries of religious war? I’d say that sounds about right. 

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