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…